The imperfect tense in Spanish is mostly used for habits and descriptions in the past, for example:
Habits in the past:
imperfect tenseCuando vivía en Colombia, viajaba a la playa en vacaciones.Translation: When I lived in Colombia, I used to travel to the beach on vacation.Descriptions in the past:
imperfect tenseLa chica era alta, tenía el pelo largo y llevaba un vestido azul.Translation: The girl was tall, had long hair and was wearing a blue dress.
We use it when the duration of the action is indeterminate or unspecified. This means it is not important when or if the action has ended. Let’s see how we can use the imperfect tense in the various scenarios you may encounter along your Spanish-learning journey, starting with habits.
Talking about habits in the past
Talking about habits in the past is one of the several uses of the imperfect. Imagine you’re talking with your friends about when you were school students. Or maybe you’re talking about your first job. When you want to talk about the everyday actions you did in the past, the imperfect tense will be your friend.
Let’s have a look at some specific cases and examples!
Continuous actions in the past
Continuous actions in the past are one case where the imperfect can be used in Spanish. Look:
This example refers to the past, but we don’t know for how long she used to read suspense stories. We just want to emphasize that this was a continuous action in the past.
Repeated actions in the past
For the case of repeated actions in the past, it’s also necessary to use the imperfect. Let’s see an example:
In this sentence, we’re not told exactly when the subject (I) was in school or for how many years. This exact information is not specified and it’s not important for the message. The priority here is to highlight the repeated nature of the action.
Mental states or mental actions in the past
Mental states and mental actions in the past also require the imperfect. What happens if you’re talking about an old feeling or past thought? If you’re using the verbs sentir meaning feel, creer meaning believe, conocer meaning know, pensar meaning think, querer meaning want, and saber meaning know, you should use the imperfect to express that mental action. Read the following example below:
Remember that we’re still talking about a mental action or state of indefinite duration.
But pay attention! Remember we’re talking about habits in the past. The equivalent would + verb is not to be confused with the conditional form. When we use it to express the past, there’s no condition to be met. Look:
Let’s continue. So, you’re talking with your classmates about your first day of work ever. There was a lot going on that day and you want to provide a detailed description. You want to tell them about the place, the people, what was going on, etc… For this scenario, you also need the imperfect tense in Spanish. Let’s see some specific cases and examples:
General descriptions of the past (people, places…)
To make general descriptions of the past, you’ll use the imperfect tense. Imagine you want to describe your boss, your colleagues, and your place of work. Look:
Again, the duration of the action is not important here. The description doesn’t convey a specific time in the past.
Describing the background context or circumstances of an action
When you’re describing the background context of a main event or circumstances of an action, you’ll also want to use the imperfect. Let’s continue with the topic of your first day of work ever. Read the following example:
As you can see, we’re describing the background context of a main event, but we’re also describing a series of simultaneous actions in the past. In English, the equivalent to this form is was/were + verb in “-ing” form.
Expressing age in the past
The imperfect is also used for expressing age in the past. As you probably know, in Spanish we use the verb tener meaning to have to express age.
Indicating the moment of the day in the past
To indicate the moment of the day in the past, you will use the imperfect. Do you remember how we said we use the imperfect to describe the background context of an action? Well, look how you’ll add the part or time of the day to your description:
Other uses of the imperfect in Spanish
There are a couple of other uses of the imperfect in Spanish, besides habits and descriptions in the past, that are not necessarily connected to expressing past tense. In this section, we’ll have a look at those.
Expressing courtesy
To express courtesy, the imperfect can be used with some verbs like querer meaning want or poder meaning can. Pay attention here: although we’re using the imperfect, we are expressing an idea in the present tense. Look:
Future in the past
To refer to a future event planned in the past, we can also use the imperfect tense.
How to form the imperfect tense in Spanish?
Forming the imperfect tense in Spanish is quite easy! We have created a handout that you can use to learn how to conjugate the imperfect form of regular, reflexive, and irregular verbs. You'll be conjugating the Spanish imperfect tense like a pro in no time!
Summary
Let’s quickly recap what we’ve seen in this post. The imperfect tense in Spanish is used to:
Talk about habits in the past when the duration of the action is indeterminate or unspecified (similar to “would” or “used to” + verb in English)
Describe people, places, circumstances, or time of the day in a past context
Express age in a past context
This acronym can also help you remember when to use the imperfect in Spanish. And, to review all the different Spanish past tenses, be sure to read our comprehensive post!
If you want to practice, we’ve created a couple of activities that will help you check if you understand when to use the imperfect tense in Spanish.
In the first activity, you’ll see a list of 10 situations. You need to read them and decide if you would need to use the imperfect in Spanish. There’s an answer key provided for you.
In the second activity you’ll have to read and complete a mystery story. You’ll also have an answer key to check your work.
Happy learning!
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