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Conjugation Chart

“Servir” (to serve) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Servir”

The Imperfect Tense of servir is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo servía la cena a las 8 p.m. (I used to serve dinner at 8 p.m.).

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

How to Use Servir in the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense of servir is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as well as descriptions and states of being.

To serve (food or drinks): Por ejemplo, los camareros servían las bebidas a los clientes. (The waiters were serving drinks to the customers.)

To be useful or serve a purpose: Por ejemplo, esta herramienta me servía para arreglar el coche. (This tool was useful for me to fix the car.)

To attend or wait on someone: Por ejemplo, los meseros servían a los comensales con amabilidad. (The waiters were attending to the diners politely.)

Colloquially, to insult or put someone down: Por ejemplo, siempre me servía comentarios desagradables. (He was always serving me unpleasant comments.)

Real Life Examples of Servir in the Imperfect Tense

Yo servía las mesas en el restaurante los fines de semana. (I used to serve tables at the restaurant on weekends.)

Ellos servían el vino tinto después de la sopa. (They used to serve the red wine after the soup.)

Tú servías de voluntario en el comedor de beneficencia. (You used to volunteer at the soup kitchen.)

Nosotros servíamos la cena a las ocho en punto. (We used to serve dinner at eight o’clock sharp.)

Ella servía el café con leche por las mañanas. (She used to serve coffee with milk in the mornings.)

Vosotros servíais las bebidas en la fiesta. (You all used to serve the drinks at the party.)

Ustedes servían la comida en platos de plástico. (You all used to serve the food on plastic plates.)

El mesero servía los platos principales con mucho cuidado. (The waiter used to serve the main courses very carefully.)

La camarera servía las cervezas bien frías. (The waitress used to serve the beers ice cold.)

Los cocineros servían la comida en cuanto estaba lista. (The cooks used to serve the food as soon as it was ready.)

El capitán servía las bebidas a los pasajeros durante el vuelo. (The captain used to serve drinks to the passengers during the flight.)

La anfitriona servía los aperitivos en la recepción. (The hostess used to serve the appetizers at the reception.)

Los mayordomos servían el té de la tarde en la terraza. (The butlers used to serve afternoon tea on the terrace.)

El equipo de catering servía la comida en bandejas. (The catering team used to serve the food on trays.)

Los meseros servían el postre con una guinda encima. (The waiters used to serve the dessert with a cherry on top.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Servir (to serve) 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.