Introduction to Imperfect Conjugation

Question 1

yo
-ar Verbs

Answer 1

-aba

Question 2

yo
-er and -ir Verbs

Answer 2

-ía

Question 3

tú
-ar Verbs

Answer 3

-abas

Question 4

tú
-er and -ir Verbs

Answer 4

-ías

Question 5

él, ella, usted
-ar Verbs

Answer 5

-aba

Question 6

él, ella, usted
-er and -ir Verbs

Answer 6

-ía

Question 7

nosotros
-ar Verbs

Answer 7

-ábamos

Question 8

nosotros
-er and -ir Verbs

Answer 8

-íamos

Question 9

vosotros
-ar Verbs

Answer 9

-abais

Question 10

vosotros
-er and -ir Verbs

Answer 10

-íais

Question 11

ellos, ellas, ustedes
-ar Verbs

Answer 11

-aban

Question 12

ellos, ellas, ustedes
-er and -ir Verbs

Answer 12

-ían

Question 13

yo
to go (ir), to be (ser), to see (ver)

Answer 13

iba, era, veía

Question 14

tú
to go, to be, to see

Answer 14

ibas, eras, veías

Question 15

él, ella, usted
to go, to be, to see

Answer 15

iba, era, veía

Question 16

nosotros
to go, to be, to see

Answer 16

íbamos, éramos, veíamos

Question 17

vosotros
to go, to be, to see

Answer 17

ibais, erais, veíais

Question 18

ellos, ellas, ustedes
to go, to be, to see

Answer 18

iban, eran, veían

Question 19

Habitual or Repeated Actions

Habitual or repeated actions are those that were done over and over in the past. These are often things a person used to or would do.

Answer 19

Almorzábamos cada día.
We used to eat lunch together every day.

Todos los sábados las mujeres iban de compras.
Every Saturday the ladies would go shopping.

Question 20

Actions that Were in Progress in the Past

It’s quite common to see the imperfect used to talk about something that was happening, when something else occurred. It’s also used for actions that continued in the past for an unspecified period of time. The action in progress is in the imperfect, while the interrupting action is in the preterite.

Answer 20

Iba a clase cuando sonó el teléfono.
I was going to class when the telephone rang.

Mi papá cocinaba cuando entré a casa.
My dad was cooking when I came in the house.

A veces le dolían las manos y las piernas.
Sometimes her hands and feet ached.

Question 21

Times and Dates

The imperfect is used to talk about times and dates in the past.

Answer 21

Eran las tres de la tarde.
It was three o’clock in the afternoon.

Era el 9 de mayo.
It was May 9th.

Question 22

Age

The imperfect is commonly used to talk about age in the past.

Answer 22

La niña tenía 4 años.
The little girl was 4 years old.

Los perros tenían dos años cuando los adopté.
The dogs were two years old when I adopted them.

Question 23

Descriptions of Characteristics, Conditions, and Feelings

The imperfect is used to give descriptions in the past, especially those that set the scene in terms of the senses.

Answer 23

Mi profesor era alto y tenía el pelo ondulado.
My professor was tall and had wavy hair.

El campo era bello.
The countryside was beautiful.

Hacía calor esa noche.
It was hot that night.

Me sentía feliz con mi trabajo nuevo.
I was happy with my new job.

Quería mudarme a otro país.
I wanted to move to another country.