The Imperfect

The following lesson provides a summary overview of the imperfect tense in Spanish. For an introduction to the topic and more in-depth explanations, see our grammar lessons starting with Preterite vs Imperfect I and Imperfect I.

The imperfect tense is used to refer to actions in the past that occurred repeatedly.

I used to walk every day.
Yo caminaba cada día.

The imperfect tense is also used to refer to actions in the past that occurred over an extended period of time.

I used to eat paella frequently.
Yo comía frecuentemente paella.

The imperfect tense is also used to “set the stage” for an event that occurred in the past.

We were coming home when we saw Juan.
Veníamos para casa cuando vimos a Juan.

Actions which are not physical, that is feelings and mental actions, usually use the imperfect tense.

Juan was feeling sick.
Juan estaba enfermo.

The imperfect is frequently associated with phrases that describe the frequency of past actions.

a menudo
often

a veces
sometimes

cada día
every day

cada año
every year

con frecuencia
frequently

de vez en cuando
from time to time

en aquella época
at that time

frecuentemente
frequently

generalmente
usually

muchas veces
many times

mucho
a lot

nunca
never

por un rato
for awhile

siempre
always

tantas veces
so many times

todas las semanas
every week

todos los días
every day

todo el tiempo
all the time

varias veces
several times

Regular forms of the imperfect are formed by adding the following endings to the stem of the verb:

Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect: