Imperfect Tense in Spanish
The imperfect tense in Spanish is used to describe actions or states that were happening in the past, but not necessarily completed. It's similar to the English past continuous tense (e.g., "I was walking").
Irregular Imperfect Tense
In Spanish, some verbs have irregular imperfect forms. This means their endings are not formed according to the standard conjugation patterns.
Examples:
Here are some examples of irregular imperfect conjugations, with the verb *ser* (to be) as an example:
| Person | Regular | Irregular | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | *era* | *era* | I was |
| Tú | *eras* | *eras* | You were |
| Él/Ella/Usted | *era* | *era* | He/She/You were |
| Nosotros | *éramos* | *éramos* | We were |
| Vosotros | *erais* | *erais* | You were (formal) |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | *eran* | *eran* | They/You were |
Other Irregular Imperfect Verbs:
Here are some more common irregular verbs:
* Ir (to go): *iba*, *ibas*, *iba*, *íbamos*, *ibais*, *iban*
* Ver (to see): *veía*, *veías*, *veía*, *veíamos*, *veíais*, *veían*
* Hacer (to do): *hacía*, *hacías*, *hacía*, *hacíamos*, *hacíais*, *hacían*
* Decir (to say): *decía*, *decías*, *decía*, *decíamos*, *decíais*, *decían*
* Tener (to have): *tenía*, *tenías*, *tenía*, *teníamos*, *teníais*, *tenían*
Remember:
* To identify irregular imperfect verbs, it's best to consult a Spanish grammar textbook or online resource.
* Irregular imperfect verb conjugations are often memorized, but understanding the patterns can help you learn them more easily.