Imperfecto de indicativo (Imperfect Indicative Tense)

Question 1

Imperfecto de indicativo (Imperfect Indicative Tense)

Answer 1

Expresses an action or a state of being that was CONTINUOUS in the PAST and its completion is not indicated.

Question 2

Imperfecto de indicativo (Imperfect Indicative Tense) is used to express an action that was going on in the past at the same time as another action.

Answer 2

Mi hermano lei’a y mi padre hablaba.

My brother was reading and my falther was talking.

Question 3

Imperfecto de indicativo (Imperfect Indicative Tense) is used to express an action that was going on in the past when another action occured.

Answer 3

Mi hermana cantaba cuando yo entre’.

My sister was singing when I came in.

Question 4

Imperfecto de indicativo (Imperfect Indicative Tense) is used to express a habitual action in the past.

EX 1

Answer 4

Cuando esta’bamos en Nueva York, i’bamos al cine todos los sa’bados.

When we wer in NY, we went / used to go to the movies every Saturday.

Question 5

Imperfecto de indicativo (Imperfect Indicative Tense) is used to express a habitual action in the past.

EX 2

Answer 5

Cuando vivi’amos en California, i’bamos a la playa todos los di’as.

When we used to live in CA, we would go to the beach every day.

Question 6

Imperfecto de indicativo (Imperfect Indicative Tense) is used to express a description of a mental, emotional, or physical condition in the past.

Answer 6

Queri'a ir al cine. 
I wanted to go to to the movies. 
Estaba contento de verlo. 
I was happy to see him. 
Mi madre era hermosa cuando era pequen~a
My mother was beautifuls when she was young

Question 7

Imperfecto de indicativo (Imperfect Indicative Tense) is used to express a description of a mental, emotional, or physical condition in the past.

Common verbs for this use are:

Answer 7

creer
desear
pensar
poder
preferir
querer

Question 8

Imperfecto de indicativo (Imperfect Indicative Tense) is used to express the time of day in the past.

Que hora era?
Eran las tres.

Answer 8

What time was it?

It was 3 PM.

Question 9

Imperfecto de indicativo (Imperfect Indicative Tense) is used to express an indirect quotation in the past.

Dice que quiere venir a mi casa.
Dijo que queri’a venir a mi casa.

Answer 9

He says he wants to come to my house. (Present tense)

He said he wanted to come to my house.
Past Tense

Question 10

Imperfecto de indicativo (Imperfect Indicative Tense) is used to express an action or state of being that occurred in the past and lasted for a certain length of time prior to another past action.

Answer 10

Similar to the pluperfect tense in English and is formed with HAD BEEN plus the present participle of the verb us are using.

Haci’a tres horas que miraba la televisio’n cuando mi hermano entro’.

I had been watching TV for 3 hours when my brother cam in.

Question 11

Imperfecto de indicativo (Imperfect Indicative Tense) is formed with -AR verbs by…

Answer 11

drop the -ar, and add: aba, abas, aba; a’bamos, abais, aban

Question 12

Imperfecto de indicativo (Imperfect Indicative Tense) is formed with -ER or -IR verbs by…

Answer 12

drop the -er or -ir and add: i’a, i’as, i’a; i’amos, i’ais, i’an

Question 13

Verbs Irregular to the imperfect indicative:

Answer 13

ir / to go
ser / to be
ver / to see

Question 14

“To go” is irregular to the imperfect indicative

Answer 14

iba, ibas, iba
i’bamos, ibais, iban

I was going, I used to go, etc

Question 15

“To be” is irregular to the imperfect indicative

Answer 15

era, eras, era;
e’ramos, erais, eran

I was, I used to be, etc

Question 16

“To see” is irregular to the imperfect indicative

Answer 16

vei’a, vei’as, vei’a;
vei’amos, vei’ais, vei’an

i was seeing, I used to see, etc