The Imperfect Tense of olvidarse is used to describe actions in the past that were ongoing, repeated, or habitual, for example, Me olvidaba de hacer la tarea. (I used to forget to do my homework.)
Olvidarse is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the typical pattern for that verb type.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Olvidarse (to forget) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
Pronoun | Conjugation |
---|---|
Yo | me olvidaba |
Tú | te olvidabas |
Él / Ella / Usted | se olvidaba |
Nosotros / Nosotras | nos olvidábamos |
Vosotros / Vosotras | os olvidabais |
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | se olvidaban |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Olvidarse (to forget) in the Imperfect Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Olvidarse in the Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense of olvidarse is used to describe actions or states that were ongoing or repeated in the past.
Forgetting something: Por ejemplo, me olvidaba de hacer la tarea (I used to forget to do my homework).
Failing to remember: Por ejemplo, siempre se olvidaba de llamar a su madre (he always forgot to call his mother).
Neglecting or overlooking: Por ejemplo, nos olvidábamos de los detalles importantes (we used to overlook important details).
Spacing out or being absent-minded: Por ejemplo, me olvidaba de lo que estaba diciendo a mitad de la frase (I would space out in the middle of a sentence and forget what I was saying).
Leaving something behind accidentally: Por ejemplo, se olvidaba las llaves en casa todo el tiempo (he was always accidentally leaving his keys at home).
Examples
Examples of Olvidarse in the Imperfect Tense
Yo me olvidaba de llamar a mi mamá todos los domingos. (I used to forget to call my mom every Sunday.)
Cuando nos olvidábamos de las llaves, teníamos que esperar a que llegara mi hermano del trabajo. (When we forgot the keys, we had to wait for my brother to get home from work.)
¿Te olvidabas de apagar las luces antes de salir de casa? (Did you forget to turn off the lights before leaving home?)
Ella se olvidaba de tomar sus vitaminas casi todos los días. (She used to forget to take her vitamins almost every day.)
Mis amigos y yo nos olvidábamos de estudiar para los exámenes hasta el último minuto. (My friends and I would forget to study for exams until the last minute.)
¿Te olvidabas de pagar la renta a tiempo? (Slang: ¿Se te olvidaba pagar la renta a tiempo?) (Did you forget to pay the rent on time?)
Cuando era niño, me olvidaba de hacer mis tareas con frecuencia. (When I was a child, I would often forget to do my homework.)
Ustedes se olvidaban de llevar sus identificaciones cuando íbamos de viaje. (You all used to forget to bring your IDs when we went on trips.)
¿Te olvidabas de poner la alarma antes de irte a dormir? (Did you forget to set the alarm before going to bed?)
Vosotros os olvidabais de cerrar las ventanas cuando llovía. (You all used to forget to close the windows when it rained.)
Ella se olvidaba de enviar los correos electrónicos importantes. (Idiomatic: Ella se le olvidaba enviar los correos importantes.) (She would forget to send important emails.)
¿Os olvidabais de apagar el horno después de cocinar? (Did you all forget to turn off the oven after cooking?)
Nosotros nos olvidábamos de revisar el aceite del coche con regularidad. (We used to forget to check the car’s oil regularly.)
Tú te olvidabas de tus llaves con demasiada frecuencia. (You forgot your keys too often.)
Ellos se olvidaban de pagar las cuentas a tiempo cada mes. (They would forget to pay the bills on time every month.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Olvidarse (to forget) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
Spanish | English |
---|---|
Yo me olvidaba | I was forgetting |
Tú te olvidabas | You were forgetting |
Él / Ella / Usted se olvidaba | He / She / You (formal) was forgetting |
Nosotros / Nosotras nos olvidábamos | We were forgetting |
Vosotros / Vosotras os olvidabais | You all were forgetting |
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes se olvidaban | They / You all (formal) were forgetting |
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.