Chapter 5 Questions

Question 1

“-ar” imperfect regular verb endings

Answer 1

“-ar” imperfect regular verb endings: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban

Question 2

“-er” imperfect regular verb endings

Answer 2

“-er” imperfect regular verb endings: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían (same endings as “-ir”)

Question 3

“-ir” imperfect regular verb endings

Answer 3

“-ir” imperfect regular verb endings: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían (same endings as “-er”)

Question 4

What are the three irregular verbs in the imperfect and their conjugations?

Answer 4

The three irregular verbs in the preterit and their conjugations: ir - iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban; ser - era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran; ver - veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían

Question 5

When is the imperfect used in Spanish (9 answers)?

Answer 5

The imperfect is used to express: 1. To describe contuing, ongoing actions in the past; 2. to indicate actions that took place on a regular basis, actions that were repeated, or were habitual or customary in the past; 3. to describe people or states of indefinite duration in the past; 4. to express the English equivalent of would + verb, referring to actions that took place repeatedly or customarily in the past; 5. To express age in the past; 6. To describe the background or circumstances of an action; 7. To indicate the time of day in the past; 8. To indicate a mental state a mental action, or a state of indefinite duration with verbs such as sentir, creer, conocer, pensar, querer and saber (mental states are considered ongoing actions); 9. in the Spanish equivalent of the English “-ing” forms, referring to the past.

Question 6

What verb is used to describe qualities or states of indefinite duration in the past?

Answer 6

Ser is used to describe qualities or states of indefinite duration in the past.

Question 7

What is the purpose of using a combination of the imperfect and the preterit in one sentence?

Answer 7

In a sentence with the imperfect and the preterit together, the imperfect points out the ongoing or background actions and the preterit is used to express actions seen as “interrupting” the actions of the imperfect.