The Imperfect Tense of Esconder is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo escondía las llaves debajo del tapete. (I used to hide the keys under the mat.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Esconder (to hide) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

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

Hiding or concealing something: Por ejemplo, de niño escondía mis juguetes debajo de la cama. (As a child, I used to hide my toys under the bed.)

Keeping something secret: Por ejemplo, mi hermano escondía su adicción a las drogas de mis padres. (My brother was hiding his drug addiction from my parents.)

Figurative meaning of hiding emotions: Por ejemplo, escondía su tristeza detrás de una sonrisa falsa. (She was hiding her sadness behind a fake smile.)

Slang meaning of hiding or avoiding someone: Por ejemplo, escondía a su novia de sus amigos. (He was hiding his girlfriend from his friends.)

Rude meaning of hiding or concealing something shameful: Por ejemplo, escondía su fealdad con maquillaje. (She was hiding her ugliness with makeup.) Cuidado, este uso puede ser ofensivo. (Be careful, this usage can be offensive.)

Examples

Examples of Esconder in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, escondía mis juguetes debajo de la cama. (When I was a child, I used to hide my toys under the bed.)

Mi abuela escondía las galletas en la alacena para que no las comiéramos antes de la cena. (My grandmother used to hide the cookies in the pantry so we wouldn’t eat them before dinner.)

En el parque, los niños escondían las pelotas detrás de los arbustos. (At the park, the children used to hide the balls behind the bushes.)

Tú escondías tus revistas debajo del colchón para que tus padres no las vieran. (You used to hide your magazines under the mattress so your parents wouldn’t see them.)

Ellos escondían sus ahorros en un calcetín viejo. (They used to hide their savings in an old sock.)

Nosotros escondíamos las llaves del carro para que nuestro hijo no lo tomara prestado. (We used to hide the car keys so our son wouldn’t borrow it.)

Ella escondía sus cigarrillos en el bolso para que su esposo no los viera. (She used to hide her cigarettes in her purse so her husband wouldn’t see them.)

Vosotros escondíais la botella de vino cuando venían visitas. (You (plural) used to hide the wine bottle when guests came over.)

Ustedes escondían los regalos de Navidad en el ático. (You (plural) used to hide the Christmas gifts in the attic.)

Yo escondía mis calificaciones bajas para que mis padres no se enteraran. (I used to hide my low grades so my parents wouldn’t find out.)

El ladrón escondía el botín en un lugar secreto. (The thief used to hide the loot in a secret place.)

Los niños escondían las verduras debajo del plato para no comérselas. (The children used to hide the vegetables under the plate so they wouldn’t have to eat them.)

Tú escondías tus revistas favoritas debajo del colchón. (You used to hide your favorite magazines under the mattress.)

Ellas escondían sus ahorros en una lata de galletas. (They used to hide their savings in a cookie jar.)

Vosotros escondíais las llaves del coche para que vuestros hijos no lo tomaran prestado. (You (plural) used to hide the car keys so your children wouldn’t borrow it.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Esconder (to hide) 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.