3. Imperfect Tense (Past Habitual)
The imperfect tense describes past actions that were ongoing, habitual, or repeated.
3.1. Regular Verbs
3.1.1. -AR Verbs
Example Verb: hablar (to speak)
Conjugation Pattern:
| Pronoun | Ending | Conjugation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | -aba | hablaba |
| Vos | -abas | hablabas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | -aba | hablaba |
| Nosotros/Nosotras | -ábamos | hablábamos |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | -aban | hablaban |
3.1.2. -ER and -IR Verbs
Example Verbs: comer (to eat), vivir (to live)
Conjugation Pattern:
| Pronoun | Ending | Comer | Vivir |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | -ía | comía | vivía |
| Vos | -ías | comías | vivías |
| Él/Ella/Usted | -ía | comía | vivía |
| Nosotros/Nosotras | -íamos | comíamos | vivíamos |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | -ían | comían | vivían |
3.2. Irregular Verbs
There are only three irregular verbs in the imperfect tense.
3.2.1. Ir (to go)
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | iba |
| Vos | ibas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | iba |
| Nosotros | íbamos |
| Ellos/Ustedes | iban |
3.2.2. Ser (to be)
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | era |
| Vos | eras |
| Él/Ella/Usted | era |
| Nosotros | éramos |
| Ellos/Ustedes | eran |
3.2.3. Ver (to see)
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | veía |
| Vos | veías |
| Él/Ella/Usted | veía |
| Nosotros | veíamos |
| Ellos/Ustedes | veían |
3.3. Usage and Examples
- Hablar (to speak)
- Vos hablabas con tus amigos cada día. (You used to speak with your friends every day.)
- Comer (to eat)
- Vos comías mucho chocolate. (You used to eat a lot of chocolate.)
- Vivir (to live)
- Vos vivías en el campo. (You used to live in the countryside.)
3.4. Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Conjugation Practice
Conjugate the following verbs in the imperfect tense for “vos”:
- Trabajar (to work)
- Escribir (to write)
- Tener (to have)
- Estar (to be)
- Hacer (to do/make)
Answers:
- Vos trabajabas
- Vos escribías
- Vos tenías
- Vos estabas
- Vos hacías
Exercise 2: Sentence Translation
Translate the following sentences into Spanish using “vos”:
- You used to go to school every day.
- You were happy as a child.
- You used to have a bike.
- You used to see your grandparents often.
- You always did your homework.
Answers:
- Vos ibas a la escuela todos los días.
- Vos eras feliz de niño/a.
- Vos tenías una bicicleta.
- Vos veías a tus abuelos a menudo.
- Vos siempre hacías tu tarea.