Learn how to tell your stories in Spanish

If you’re older than 40 chances are you love talking about things you used to do when you were younger. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to do that in Spanish!? The imperfect tense in Spanish is used for exactly this. It does have other uses too and in this blog post you’ll learn how to use the imperfect tense in Spanish to talk about past actions that happened repeatedly or over an extended period of time.

When to Use the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense is basically used to describe actions or situations in the past that were ongoing, habitual, or that provide background information. Unlike the preterite tense, which is used for specific, completed actions in the past, the imperfect is used for actions without a clear beginning or end like that those parties that you used to go to or those late night beach walks….

1. Think of repeated or habitual actions in the pastExample: Cuando era niño, jugaba con mis amigos todos los días.(When I was a child, I used to play with my friends every day.)
2. Descriptions in the past (age, weather, time, emotions, or characteristics)Example: Hacía calor y eran las tres de la tarde.(It was hot, and it was three in the afternoon.)
3. Ongoing or continuous actions in the pastExample: Mientras yo estudiaba, mi hermana veía la televisión.(While I was studying, my sister was watching TV.)
4. Background information in a storyExample: El parque estaba lleno de gente y los niños corrían por todas partes.(The park was full of people, and the children were running everywhere.)

Oooh, just think of all those stories you’ll be able to tell when you nail this tense!

How to Form the Imperfect Tense with Regular Verbs:

Let’s look at -AR ending Verbs first.

Take the stem of the verb and add the following endings:-aba-abas-aba-ábamos-abais-aban.

Example with hablar (to speak)

Yo hablaba	I used to talk
Tú hablabas	You used to talk
Él/Ella/Usted hablaba	He/she/it/you used to talk
Nosotros hablábamos	We used to talk
Vosotros hablabais	You all used to talk
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes hablaban	They/you all used to talk

For ER & -IR ending Verbs Take the stem of the verb and add the following endings: -ía -ías -ía -íamos -íais -ían

Example with comer (to eat)

Yo comía	I used to eat
Tú comías	You used to eat
Él/Ella/Usted comía	He/she/it/you used to eat
Nosotros comíamos	We used to eat
Vosotros comíais	You all used to eat
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes comían	They/you all used to eat

Example with vivir (to live)

Yo vivía	I used to live
Tú vivías	You used to live
Él/Ella/Usted vivía	He/she/it/you used to live
Nosotros vivíamos	We used to live
Vosotros vivíais	You all used to live
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes vivían	They/you all used to live

There are only three irregular verbs in the imperfect tense:

Ser (to be)

Yo era	I used to be
Tú eras	You used to be
Él/Ella/Usted era	He/she/it/you used to be
Nosotros éramos	We used to be
Vosotros erais	You all used to be
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes eran	They/you all used to be

Ir (to go)

Yo iba	I used to go
Tú ibas	You used to go
Él/Ella/Usted iba	He/she/it/you used to go
Nosotros íbamos	We used to go
Vosotros ibais	You all used to go
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes iban	They/you all used to go

Ver (to see)

Yo veía	I used to see
Tú veías	You used to see
Él/Ella/Usted veía	He/she/it/you used to see
Nosotros veíamos	We used to see
Vosotros veíais	You all used to see
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes veían	They/you all used to see

Let’s round this lesson off with some examples in Context

1. Cuando era pequeño, iba al parque todos los días.(When I was little, I used to go to the park every day.)
2. Mi abuela cocinaba muy bien.(My grandmother used to cook very well.)
3. Veíamos películas cada fin de semana.(We used to watch movies every weekend.)
4. El cielo estaba nublado, y hacía mucho frío.(The sky was cloudy, and it was very cold.)
5. Mientras él leía, yo escribía una carta.(While he was reading, I was writing a letter.)

So there you have it – you can now bore your family and friends with constant stories of all the things you used to do cuando eras joven – ¡suerte!