The Imperfect Tense of encontrarse is used to describe ongoing or repeated situations in the past, for example, Me encontraba en la biblioteca estudiando cuando sonó mi teléfono. (I was in the library studying when my phone rang.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Encontrarse (to find oneself) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

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

To be located or situated: For example, La escuela se encontraba en el centro de la ciudad. (The school was located in the city center.)

To be in a certain state or condition: For example, Me encontraba muy cansado después del entrenamiento. (I was very tired after the workout.)

To come across or encounter something/someone: For example, Nos encontrábamos con amigos en el parque todos los domingos. (We would meet up with friends at the park every Sunday.)

To find oneself (reflexive): For example, Me encontraba perdido en la ciudad. (I found myself lost in the city.) This can also be used figuratively, as in Me encontraba en una situación difícil. (I found myself in a difficult situation.)

Colloquial/Slang usage: ¿Cómo te encontrabas anoche? (How were you feeling last night? – implying being drunk or high.)

Examples

Examples of Encontrarse in the Imperfect Tense

Yo me encontraba perdido en la ciudad. (I was lost in the city.)

Ella se encontraba muy estresada por el trabajo. (She was very stressed because of work.)

Nosotros nos encontrábamos en un dilema sobre qué hacer. (We found ourselves in a dilemma about what to do.)

Tú te encontrabas en una situación incómoda, ¿verdad? (You were in an uncomfortable situation, right?)

Ellos se encontraban sin dinero para pagar la renta. (They found themselves without money to pay the rent.)

La fiesta se encontraba muy animada cuando llegamos. (The party was very lively when we arrived.)

¿Dónde te encontrabas cuando te llamé anoche? (Where were you when I called you last night?)

Mis amigos se encontraban de vacaciones en la playa. (My friends were on vacation at the beach.)

El equipo se encontraba en desventaja en el marcador. (The team was behind on the scoreboard.)

Yo me encontraba en un callejón sin salida en mi carrera. (I found myself in a dead end in my career.)

Ellas se encontraban en un aprieto financiero. (They were in a financial bind.)

Tú te encontrabas en un dilema moral, ¿no es cierto? (You were in a moral dilemma, weren’t you?)

La ciudad se encontraba en un caos total después del huracán. (The city was in total chaos after the hurricane.)

Nosotros nos encontrábamos en un atolladero con el proyecto. (We found ourselves in a quagmire with the project.)

Ellos se encontraban en un apuro por llegar a tiempo. (They were in a hurry to arrive on time.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Encontrarse (to find oneself) in the Imperfect Tense 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.