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Conjugation Chart

“Preguntar” (to ask) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Preguntar”

The Imperfect Tense of preguntar is used to describe an ongoing or repeated action in the past, for example, Yo preguntaba por las direcciones cada vez que me perdía. (I used to ask for directions whenever I got lost.)

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

How to Use Preguntar in the Imperfect Tense

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

Asking questions: For example, Cuando era niño, siempre le preguntaba a mi madre sobre el mundo. (When I was a child, I always used to ask my mother about the world.)

Expressing uncertainty or politeness: For example, Preguntaba si podía ayudarle con eso. (I was wondering if I could help you with that.)

Describing habitual actions: For example, Cada vez que venía, me preguntaba cómo estaba. (Every time he came, he would ask me how I was doing.)

Expressing ongoing actions: For example, Mientras esperábamos, le preguntaba sobre su trabajo. (While we were waiting, I was asking him about his job.)

Colloquial usage (rude): For example, ¿Qué coño me preguntabas? (What the hell were you asking me?)

Real Life Examples of Preguntar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo preguntaba por las direcciones al hotel. (I was asking for directions to the hotel.)

Ellos preguntaban cuánto costaba la entrada. (They were asking how much the admission cost.)

Tú preguntabas si había opciones vegetarianas en el menú. (You were asking if there were vegetarian options on the menu.)

Nosotros preguntábamos a cada rato por el paradero de nuestro equipaje. (We were constantly asking about the whereabouts of our luggage.)

Ella preguntaba por el significado de esa palabra en el diccionario. (She was looking up the meaning of that word in the dictionary.)

Vosotros preguntabais por el horario de apertura del museo. (You all were asking about the museum’s opening hours.)

Ustedes preguntaban cuándo llegaría el próximo autobús. (You were asking when the next bus would arrive.)

Él preguntaba por todas partes si alguien había visto su cartera perdida. (He was asking everywhere if anyone had seen his lost wallet.)

Yo preguntaba a mi amigo qué tal le había ido en su cita. (I was asking my friend how their date went.)

Ellas preguntaban por recomendaciones de buenos restaurantes locales. (They were asking for recommendations of good local restaurants.)

Tú preguntabas por el precio de las entradas para el concierto. (You were asking about the price of tickets for the concert.)

Nosotros preguntábamos cuándo saldría la nueva película de nuestro director favorito. (We were asking when our favorite director’s new movie would be released.)

Vosotros preguntabais por el camino más corto hacia la playa. (You all were asking for the shortest way to the beach.)

Ustedes preguntaban si el evento era apropiado para niños. (You were asking if the event was kid-friendly.)

Él preguntaba por todas partes dónde podía encontrar un buen taller mecánico. (He was asking everywhere where he could find a good auto repair shop.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Preguntar (to ask) in the Imperfect 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.