The Imperfect Tense of estar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions, states, or conditions in the past, for example, Estaba lloviendo cuando salí de casa. (It was raining when I left home.)

Estar is an irregular verb, meaning its conjugations do not follow a set pattern in the Imperfect Tense. You’ll need to memorize its unique conjugations for each subject pronoun.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Estar (to be) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The imperfect tense of estar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions, states, or conditions in the past.

Describing an ongoing state or condition: For example, Estaba enfermo. (I was sick.)

Describing repeated or habitual actions: For example, Estaba estudiando todos los días. (I was studying every day.)

Describing a specific time in the past: For example, Eran las 3 de la tarde y estaba durmiendo. (It was 3 in the afternoon and I was sleeping.)

Describing physical or emotional states: For example, Estaba cansado después del trabajo. (I was tired after work.)

Describing location or position: For example, Estaba en la cocina cuando sonó el teléfono. (I was in the kitchen when the phone rang.)

Describing age: For example, Cuando era niño, estaba delgado. (When I was a child, I was thin.)

Describing weather conditions: For example, Estaba lloviendo mucho ayer. (It was raining a lot yesterday.)

Colloquial usage (slang or idiomatic): For example, Estaba re caliente. (I was super hot/attractive.) or Estaba hasta la madre. (I was fed up.)

Examples

Examples of Estar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo estaba muy emocionado por el concierto. (I was very excited for the concert.)

Ellos estaban esperando el autobús cuando comenzó a llover. (They were waiting for the bus when it started to rain.)

Ella estaba enferma, así que no pudo ir al trabajo. (She was sick, so she couldn’t go to work.)

Nosotros estábamos muy cansados después de caminar todo el día. (We were very tired after walking all day.)

Tú estabas muy distraído durante la reunión. (You were very distracted during the meeting.)

Ellas estaban muy contentas con los resultados del proyecto. (They were very happy with the results of the project.)

¿Estabas buscando trabajo cuando te ofrecieron este puesto? (Were you looking for a job when they offered you this position?)

El equipo estaba jugando muy bien hasta que se lesionó el delantero. (The team was playing very well until the forward got injured.)

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

Mis padres estaban muy orgullosos de mí cuando me gradué. (My parents were very proud of me when I graduated.)

¿Estabas durmiendo cuando sonó la alarma? (Were you sleeping when the alarm went off?)

El tráfico estaba horrible esta mañana. (Traffic was horrible this morning.)

Yo estaba tan emocionado que no pude dormir anoche. (I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep last night.)

Ellos estaban muy preocupados por la situación económica. (They were very worried about the economic situation.)

Ella estaba tan estresada que necesitaba un descanso. (She was so stressed that she needed a break.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Estar (to be) 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.