Gramática · Nivel A2
El imperfecto
The imperfect (past habits and descriptions). Paint the scene. The imperfect describes how things were, what used to happen and what was going on.
Paso 1
Aprende · Learn
By the end of this lesson…
- I can describe what my life was like as a child.
- I can say what I used to do.
- I can describe people, places and the weather in the past.
When to use it
- Past habits (“used to”)De niño, jugaba en la calle con mis primos.As a kid, I used to play in the street with my cousins.
- Descriptions and backgroundLa casa era grande y tenía un patio.The house was big and had a patio.
- Time and age in the pastEran las ocho. Yo tenía diez años.It was eight o’clock. I was ten years old.
- Actions in progress (“was doing”)Mientras cocinaba, escuchaba música.While I was cooking, I was listening to music.
Signal words: siempre, a menudo, todos los días, de niño/a, antes, mientras, cada verano, generalmente
How to form it
| Person | -ar · hablar | -er · comer | -ir · vivir |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablaba | comía | vivía |
| tú | hablabas | comías | vivías |
| él/ella/usted | hablaba | comía | vivía |
| nosotros/as | hablábamos | comíamos | vivíamos |
| vosotros/as | hablabais | comíais | vivíais |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablaban | comían | vivían |
Keys to remember
- Good news: no stem changes and no spelling changes. Pensar → pensaba; dormir → dormía.
- Only three irregular verbs: ser (era), ir (iba), ver (veía).
- Yo and él/ella look the same (hablaba), so add the subject when it isn’t clear.
- Había means “there was / there were” and, with that meaning, never changes: había una fiesta, había muchas personas.
Key verbs (tap to open)
ser · to be
| yo | era |
|---|---|
| tú | eras |
| él/ella/usted | era |
| nosotros/as | éramos |
| vosotros/as | erais |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | eran |
ir · to go
| yo | iba |
|---|---|
| tú | ibas |
| él/ella/usted | iba |
| nosotros/as | íbamos |
| vosotros/as | ibais |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | iban |
ver · to see
| yo | veía |
|---|---|
| tú | veías |
| él/ella/usted | veía |
| nosotros/as | veíamos |
| vosotros/as | veíais |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | veían |
tener · to have
| yo | tenía |
|---|---|
| tú | tenías |
| él/ella/usted | tenía |
| nosotros/as | teníamos |
| vosotros/as | teníais |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | tenían |
Paso 2
Practica · Conjugation drill
10 quick questions. Type the form, press Enter, and get instant feedback. You get two tries per question.
Review these:
Paso 3
En contexto · Real-world practice
Type the correct form of the verb in parentheses. Accent buttons are under each sentence. After each answer, you’ll see why it’s correct. Sentences come from everyday life across the Spanish-speaking world.
Paso 4 · Apply it
Habla y escribe: Cuando era niño/a
Speak or write · 6–8 sentences
Describe your childhood: where you lived, what your home was like and what you used to do.
Steps
- Start with Cuando era niño/a, vivía en…
- Describe your home or neighborhood (2 sentences).
- Say 3 things you used to do and with whom.
- End with something you miss: Extraño…
0 words
Self-check
See a model answer
Cuando era niña, vivía en un barrio pequeño de Valencia, Venezuela. Nuestra casa era amarilla y tenía un árbol de mango en el patio. Todos los días jugaba con mis vecinos en la calle hasta muy tarde. Los domingos, mi familia iba a la casa de mi abuela, que siempre preparaba pabellón. Mi abuelo contaba chistes y todos nos reíamos. En diciembre, escuchábamos gaitas y hacíamos hallacas juntos. Extraño esas tardes tan tranquilas.
When I was a girl, I lived in a small neighborhood in Valencia, Venezuela. Our house was yellow and had a mango tree in the patio. Every day I played with my neighbors in the street until very late. On Sundays, my family went to my grandmother’s house, and she always made pabellón. My grandfather told jokes and we all laughed. In December, we listened to gaitas and made hallacas together. I miss those calm afternoons.
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