Imperfecto

When to use the imperfect tense in Spanish (hablaba, era, iba)

Paint past habits, scenes and feelings — the storytelling tense, spoken out loud.

GRAMMAR PACK · 6 LESSONS · B2

The imperfect is the background tense — it paints what the past looked like rather than what happened in it. Use it for habits (Siempre llegaba temprano a clase, De niña jugaba en el jardín), for descriptions and states (Hacía frío y nevaba mucho, Estaba cansado), and for an ongoing action that a preterite event interrupts: Leía un libro cuando llamaron a la puerta. The forms are friendly: -aba for -ar verbs, -ía for -er/-ir, and only three irregulars in the whole language — ser (era), ir (iba), ver (veía).

Below: the phrases that carry past-tense stories, the habit markers that signal the imperfect, the preterite mix-ups to avoid — and a way to practise it the way it's actually used: telling someone about your life, out loud, no conjugation tables.

Say this

The phrases that carry the conversation

Imperfect forms and common verbs

Hablaba español con mi abuela todos los días.I used to speak Spanish with my grandmother every day.
Comíamos juntos los domingos.We used to eat together on Sundays.
Vivía en un pueblo pequeño cerca del mar.I used to live in a small town near the sea.
Era tímido, iba al colegio caminando y veía dibujos después.I was shy, walked to school, and watched cartoons afterwards.

Habit and description markers

Siempre llegaba temprano a clase.I always arrived early to class.
Generalmente cenábamos a las nueve.We generally had dinner at nine.
De niña jugaba en el jardín.As a girl I used to play in the garden.
Todos los días paseaba al perro.Every day I used to walk the dog.

Imperfect + preterite interruption patterns

Mientras dormía, sonó la alarma.While I was sleeping, the alarm went off.
Leía un libro cuando llamaron a la puerta.I was reading a book when there was a knock at the door.
Caminaba por el parque y de repente vi un zorro.I was walking in the park and suddenly I saw a fox.
Cocinaba y escuchaba música cuando se fue la luz.I was cooking and listening to music when the power went out.

Regional Spanish

What locals actually say

Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.

Méx (familiar): 'mi abuela siempre hablaba en náhuatl con sus hermanas'
Arg (voseo imperfecto = tú): '¿vos hablabas inglés de chico?'
Caribe: 'comíamos arroz con habichuelas casi todos los días'
Andino: 'vivíamos arriba en el cerro, tranquilos nomás'
Méx coloquial: 'éramos bien chamacos, no entendíamos nada'
Genérico LatAm: 'había gente buena en ese barrio, había de todo'
Méx: 'todos los domingos íbamos con la abuela, sin falta'
Arg: 'cada tanto nos juntábamos con los primos a tomar mate'
Caribe: 'siempre, pero siempre, había música en la casa'
Andino: 'de vez en cuando bajábamos al pueblo a vender'

Watch out

Mistakes that mark you as a textbook speaker

Using preterite for habitsswitch to imperfect with markers (Iba al parque todos los días, not *Fui al parque todos los días)
Too much backgroundlimit to essentials before main event
Flat descriptionsadd one sensory or setting detail

The part no drill site can do

No flashcards. You learn it by using it

Carla

Your grammar teacher for this pack

You won't fill in a single verb ending here — in the Imperfecto lessons, Carla gets you telling stories. She asks what your life was like cuando era niño and you paint it: where you lived, what you always did, how things felt. Then the before-and-after: Antes vivíamos en la ciudad y todo era ruidoso — and now? She'll even push you into the senses (olía a café…), because a scene you describe out loud is a tense you never forget.

Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.

Finish the 6 lessons and Imperfecto is yours — earned, not given.

First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you

Quick answers

Questions people ask

What's the difference between the imperfect and the preterite in Spanish?

The imperfect is the background — ongoing, habitual, descriptive; the preterite is the event. They work together: Leía un libro cuando llamaron a la puerta — the reading was in progress (imperfect), the knock happened (preterite).

Which verbs are irregular in the Spanish imperfect?

Only three: ser (era, eras, era, éramos, eran), ir (iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, iban) and ver (veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veían). Everything else follows the -aba / -ía patterns.

How do you say 'used to' in Spanish?

The imperfect carries it on its own: Iba al parque todos los días — I used to go to the park every day. You can also use soler in the imperfect: Solía correr por las mañanas.

How do you set a scene in the past in Spanish?

Stack imperfects — time, weather, atmosphere, feelings: Eran las tres de la tarde y todo estaba tranquilo; La plaza estaba llena de gente y había música. Keep it to the essentials, then let the preterite deliver the event.

What does 'quería' mean — and why do people use it to be polite?

Quería is the imperfect of querer — an ongoing state of wanting. That softness makes it polite in requests: Quería preguntarte algo sounds gentler than a blunt present-tense demand.