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Understanding the Imperfect Tense in Español
The Imperfect Tense in Español is used to talk about actions that happened in the past. These actions are not seen as completed. Instead, they were ongoing, repeated, or habitual.
Important Points
It describes what things were like in the past.
It tells us about repeated actions or habits.
It sets the scene in a story, like describing the weather or time.
It talks about feelings or thoughts in the past.
To form the Imperfect Tense, we change the endings of verbs. There are two types of verbs: -ar verbs and -er/-ir verbs. Each type has its own set of endings.
Important Points
-ar verbs: aba, abas, aba, ábamos, abais, aban
-er/-ir verbs: ía, ías, ía, íamos, íais, ían
Examples
Yo hablaba con mi abuela todos los días.
Ellos comían helado cada verano.
Nosotros vivíamos en una casa grande.
There are some verbs that are irregular in the Imperfect Tense. These verbs do not follow the regular pattern, so you need to memorize them.
Important Points
Ir: iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban
Ser: era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran
Ver: veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían
Examples
Nosotros íbamos al parque todos los domingos.
Ella era muy amable con todos.
Yo veía la televisión cada tarde.
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