The Imperfect Tense of Desayunar is used to describe an ongoing or repeated action in the past, for example, Yo desayunaba huevos y tostadas todos los días. (I used to have eggs and toast for breakfast every day.)

Desayunar is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the typical pattern for this verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Desayunar (to have breakfast) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The imperfect tense of desayunar is used to describe an ongoing or repeated action in the past.

Describing an ongoing action in the past: For example, Cuando era niño, desayunaba cereales todas las mañanas. (When I was a child, I used to have cereal for breakfast every morning.)

Describing a repeated or habitual action in the past: For example, Mis abuelos desayunaban juntos en el jardín. (My grandparents used to have breakfast together in the garden.)

Describing an action in progress at a specific time in the past: For example, A las 8 de la mañana, desayunábamos en la cafetería. (At 8 in the morning, we were having breakfast at the cafe.)

Colloquial usage: In some regions, desayunar can be used informally to mean “to start something” or “to get going.” For example, ¡Desayunemos con este proyecto! (Let’s get started on this project!)

Examples

Examples of Desayunar in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, desayunaba cereales con leche todas las mañanas. (When I was a child, I used to have cereal with milk for breakfast every morning.)

Mis abuelos desayunaban pan tostado con café a las 7 en punto. (My grandparents used to have toast and coffee for breakfast at 7 o’clock sharp.)

En el hotel, desayunábamos un buffet variado con frutas, huevos y pasteles. (At the hotel, we used to have a varied breakfast buffet with fruits, eggs, and pastries.)

Antes de ir al trabajo, ella desayunaba un yogur y una manzana. (Before going to work, she used to have yogurt and an apple for breakfast.)

Vosotros desayunabais demasiado tarde los fines de semana. (You all used to have breakfast too late on weekends.)

Ellos desayunaban tacos de huevo con salsa verde, una tradición familiar. (They used to have egg tacos with green salsa for breakfast, a family tradition.)

Cuando desayunábamos juntos, siempre hablábamos de nuestros planes para el día. (When we used to have breakfast together, we always talked about our plans for the day.)

En la cafetería, desayunaba un café con leche y un cruasán recién horneado. (At the cafe, I used to have a cafe au lait and a freshly baked croissant for breakfast.)

Ustedes desayunaban muy poco, por eso tenían hambre a media mañana. (You all used to have a very light breakfast, that’s why you were hungry mid-morning.)

Ella desayunaba un batido de frutas y un sándwich integral antes de ir al gimnasio. (She used to have a fruit smoothie and a whole wheat sandwich for breakfast before going to the gym.)

En el campamento, desayunábamos hot cakes con jarabe de arce al aire libre. (At the camp, we used to have pancakes with maple syrup outdoors for breakfast.)

Vosotros desayunabais churros con chocolate caliente los domingos por la mañana. (You all used to have churros with hot chocolate on Sunday mornings.)

Ellas desayunaban avena con frutos secos y miel, una receta saludable. (They used to have oatmeal with nuts and honey for breakfast, a healthy recipe.)

Cuando desayunaba solo, veía las noticias de la mañana en la televisión. (When I used to have breakfast alone, I watched the morning news on TV.)

Tú desayunabas un vaso de jugo de naranja y tostadas antes de ir a la escuela. (You used to have a glass of orange juice and toast for breakfast before going to school.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Desayunar (to have breakfast) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.