El Pretérito Imperfecto (Imperfect) (Leaving Cert Spanish): Revision Notes
El pretérito imperfecto (The imperfect tense)
Overview
The pretérito imperfecto is a past tense in Spanish that describes ongoing, repeated, or habitual actions in the past. Unlike the preterite tense which focuses on completed actions, the imperfect paints a picture of what life was like in the past, describing background situations, ongoing conditions, and regular habits.
Think of the imperfect as setting the scene or providing context for what was happening in the past, rather than focusing on when something started or finished.
Rules and formation
The formation of the pretérito imperfecto follows predictable patterns for regular verbs, making it one of the easier tenses to learn in Spanish.
Regular verbs
To form the imperfect tense with regular verbs, you remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir) and add the appropriate imperfect endings.
Formation Pattern for Regular Verbs:
The beauty of the imperfect tense is its regularity - once you learn the endings, you can apply them to almost any verb.
For -ar verbs:
- Take off the -ar ending
- Add: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban
For -er and -ir verbs:
- Take off the -er or -ir ending
- Add: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían
Irregular verbs
There are only three verbs that are irregular in the imperfect tense: ser (to be), ir (to go), and ver (to see). These must be memorised as they don't follow the regular pattern.
This is remarkably few compared to other Spanish tenses!
Tables of key forms
Regular verbs
| Pronoun | -ar verbs (hablar) | -er/-ir verbs (comer) |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hablaba (I used to speak/was speaking) | comía (I used to eat/was eating) |
| tú | hablabas (you used to speak/were speaking) | comías (you used to eat/were eating) |
| él/ella/usted | hablaba (he/she/you used to speak/was speaking) | comía (he/she/you used to eat/was eating) |
| nosotros/nosotras | hablábamos (we used to speak/were speaking) | comíamos (we used to eat/were eating) |
| vosotros/vosotras | hablabais (you all used to speak/were speaking) | comíais (you all used to eat/were eating) |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablaban (they/you all used to speak/were speaking) | comían (they/you all used to eat/were eating) |
Irregular verbs
| Pronoun | ser | ir | ver |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | era (I was/used to be) | iba (I used to go/was going) | veía (I used to see/was seeing) |
| tú | eras (you were/used to be) | ibas (you used to go/were going) | veías (you used to see/were seeing) |
| él/ella/usted | era (he/she/you was/used to be) | iba (he/she/you used to go/was going) | veía (he/she/you used to see/was seeing) |
| nosotros/nosotras | éramos (we were/used to be) | íbamos (we used to go/were going) | veíamos (we used to see/were seeing) |
| vosotros/vosotras | erais (you all were/used to be) | ibais (you all used to go/were going) | veíais (you all used to see/were seeing) |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | eran (they/you all were/used to be) | iban (they/you all used to go/were going) | veían (they/you all used to see/were seeing) |
Example sentences
1. Describing repeated or habitual actions in the past
The imperfect excels at expressing routine activities and regular habits that occurred repeatedly in the past.
Worked Examples: Habitual Actions
Nos acostábamos tarde los sábados. - We used to go to bed late on Saturdays. This shows a repeated habit that happened regularly in the past.
Nerea tocaba el piano. - Nerea used to play the piano. This describes a skill or regular activity Nerea had in the past.
Visitaba a mis abuelos a menudo. - I often visited my grandparents. This shows a repeated action that happened frequently.
2. Describing ongoing actions in the past (equivalent to 'was/were + -ing' in English)
When you need to express actions in progress at a specific moment in the past, the imperfect is your go-to tense.
Worked Examples: Ongoing Actions
Mis padres cenaban cuando llegó Juan. - My parents were having dinner when Juan arrived. The imperfect describes the ongoing action of having dinner.
Veían la tele cuando sonó el teléfono. - They were watching television when the phone rang. The imperfect shows the action in progress when something else happened.
3. Describing feelings, emotions, characteristics and conditions in the past
The imperfect is perfect for painting a picture of how things were or how someone felt in the past.
Worked Examples: Feelings and Characteristics
Irene estaba muy cansada. - Irene was very tired. This describes Irene's condition at that time.
Los chicos eran altos y delgados. - The boys were tall and thin. This describes their physical characteristics in the past.
Quería vivir en Londres. - I wanted to live in London. This expresses a feeling or desire from the past.
4. Saying the day, date, time or age in the past
For background information like time, date, or age, the imperfect provides the context.
Worked Examples: Time and Age
Cuando tenía ocho años... - When I was eight years old... This gives background information about age.
Eran las seis de la tarde. - It was six o'clock in the evening. This tells the time in the past.
Era martes. - It was Tuesday. This gives the day of the week in the past.
Common mistakes and tips
When to use imperfect vs preterite
This can be confusing, but there are helpful time indicators that signal which tense to use.
Critical Distinction: Time Expression Clues
Use the imperfect with these time expressions:
- siempre (always)
- con frecuencia (frequently)
- frecuentemente (frequently)
- a menudo (often)
- a veces (sometimes)
- de vez en cuando (from time to time)
- muchas veces (many times)
- cada año/mes/semana/día (each year/month/week/day)
- todos los días (every day)
Use the preterite with these time expressions:
- ayer (yesterday)
- anteayer (the day before yesterday)
- anoche (last night)
- hace dos días (two days ago)
- hace tres semanas (three weeks ago)
- la semana pasada (last week)
- el mes pasado (last month)
- el año pasado (last year)
Key tip: Think of the imperfect as painting a background picture of the past, while the preterite captures specific moments or completed events. For example:
- Iba al cine a menudo (I often used to go to the cinema) - habitual action, use imperfect
- Fue al cine ayer (He went to the cinema yesterday) - completed action, use preterite
Watch out for accents
Common Error: Missing Written Accents
Remember that many imperfect forms have written accents, especially in the nosotros form of -ar verbs (hablábamos) and most forms of -er/-ir verbs (comía, comías, comíamos, etc.). Missing these accents is a common error that changes the meaning or makes the word incorrect.
Key Points to Remember:
- The imperfect describes ongoing, repeated, or habitual actions in the past - think of it as "used to" or "was/were doing"
- Regular formation is simple: remove the infinitive ending and add -aba or -ía endings
- Only three irregular verbs exist: ser (era), ir (iba), and ver (veía)
- Time expressions are your best clues for choosing between imperfect and preterite tenses
- Don't forget the written accents - they're essential for correct spelling