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Conjugation Chart

“Echar” (to throw) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Echar”

The Imperfect Tense of echar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo echaba la basura todos los días. (I used to take out the trash every day.)

Echar is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the standard pattern for that verb type.

How to Use Echar in the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense of echar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

To throw or toss: For example, Yo echaba la pelota al aire (I was throwing the ball in the air).

To put or place: For example, Ella echaba sal a la comida (She was putting salt on the food).

To expel or kick out: For example, Los echaban del bar por causar problemas (They were kicking them out of the bar for causing trouble).

To lay or produce: For example, La gallina echaba huevos todos los días (The hen was laying eggs every day).

To add or mix: For example, Yo echaba un poco de vino al guiso (I was adding a little wine to the stew).

To take or go (colloquial): For example, Echábamos a la playa los fines de semana (We used to go to the beach on weekends).

To blame or accuse (colloquial): For example, Siempre me echaban la culpa a mí (They were always blaming me).

To flirt or make a pass (slang): For example, Él le echaba los perros a todas las chicas (He was hitting on all the girls).

Real Life Examples of Echar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo echaba de menos a mi familia cuando viajaba. (I missed my family when I traveled.)

Ellos echaban una mirada al menú antes de ordenar. (They glanced at the menu before ordering.)

Ella echaba un vistazo a las noticias cada mañana. (She checked the news every morning.)

Nosotros echábamos un partido de fútbol los domingos. (We played a soccer game on Sundays.)

Tú echabas chistes en la fiesta para animar el ambiente. (You cracked jokes at the party to liven up the mood.)

Él echaba una siesta después del almuerzo. (He took a nap after lunch.)

¿Echaban ustedes de menos sus días de estudiantes? (Did you all miss your student days?)

Uno echaba un vistazo al reloj con frecuencia en esa reunión. (One frequently glanced at the watch in that meeting.)

Ella echaba una mano en los quehaceres de la casa. (She lent a hand with the household chores.)

Ellos echaban pestes del jefe cuando no estaba presente. (They badmouthed the boss when he wasn’t around.)

Tú echabas raíces en esa ciudad después de mudarme allí. (You put down roots in that city after moving there.)

Nosotros echábamos de menos las vacaciones familiares. (We missed the family vacations.)

Él echaba una carrera para llegar al trabajo a tiempo. (He raced to get to work on time.)

Ellas echaban un partido de cartas los viernes por la noche. (They played a card game on Friday nights.)

Uno echaba de menos los viejos tiempos a veces. (One missed the old times sometimes.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Echar (to throw) in the Imperfect Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.