If you want to understand how this practice fits into a complete learning path, you can read our full guide on how to learn Spanish online.
Spanish Imperfect Tense (Pretérito Imperfecto): Conjugation, Uses & Examples
Learn how to use the Spanish Imperfect tense with clear rules, conjugation patterns, time expressions, and essential examples for fluent storytelling.
Claudio
Teacher & Coach
Native Speaker:
✔
Experience:
10+
years
I’m Claudio, a native Spanish teacher, examiner, and coach with over 10 years of experience helping adults speak Spanish with confidence.
Throughout my career, I’ve worked with professionals, students, and teams from companies like Google, eBay, PayPal, and many others... and I’ve helped hundreds of people reach fluency and achieve goals that mattered to their lives.
But more importantly, I’ve seen the same pattern again and again:
-
People didn’t struggle because they weren’t capable.
-
They struggled because the way they were taught made them doubt themselves.
That’s why Elayaa exists → Not just to teach Spanish, but to create a learning environment where language, confidence, and personal growth evolve together.
By combining structured language learning with mindset work, emotional safety, and modern technology, Elayaa helps you grow fluency and trust in yourself at the same time. 🌱
Areas of Expertise:
Spanish Teaching
Conversation, General Spanish, Spanish for Tourism and Business, University Exams, DELE.
Business Communication
Public Speaking, Marketing & Advertising, Sales, Project Management, HR.
Transformational Coaching & Hypnotherapy
Facilitating growth and achieving goals while promoting inner healing through the subconscious mind, for a rapid and lasting self-empowerment.
Belief System Restructuring
Identifying and redefining limiting beliefs to transform self-image and core identity, eliminate blocks to true potential, and facilitate emotional healing.
If you’ve ever felt blocked, inconsistent, or “not good at languages”, you’re exactly the kind of learner Elayaa was created for.
Enjoy the process!
Spoken Languages:
Spanish (mother tongue), English, Italian.
↳ Live on Zoom. We’ll clarify your goals together, no pressure.
Become fluent in Spanish, for real.
Your time is precious and your goals are unique → get real results with a comprehensive, high-quality Spanish course.
Elayaa
PREMIUM
Experience the Conscious Fluency Method in its full depth. From beginner to advanced.
With full access, you get:
-
The complete structured course (A1→C1)
-
Interactive practice & reinforcement tools
-
LIVE group and 1:1 classes (optional)
-
Ongoing guidance as you progress
— This is where fluency becomes real —
You deserve it, and you're worth it.
Spanish Exercises. Your Questions Answered.
Explore the most common questions about our Spanish Imperfect Past Tense Exercises and how Elayaa makes learning interactive, simple, and effective.
💡 What is the Spanish Imperfect tense (Pretérito Imperfecto)?
The Imperfect is a past tense used to describe ongoing actions, repeated habits, background details, and situations without a defined beginning or end.
💡 What are the main uses of the Imperfect?
-
Past habits and routines
-
Ongoing or continuous past actions
-
Background descriptions (weather, age, feelings)
-
Setting the scene in storytelling
-
Indirect speech in the past
-
Actions interrupted by another action (interrupting action → Preterite)
💡 How do you conjugate regular verbs in the Imperfect?
-AR: hablaba, hablabas, hablaba, hablábamos, hablabais, hablaban
-ER/-IR: comía, comías, comía, comíamos, comíais, comían
💡 Which verbs are irregular in the Imperfect?
There are only three irregular verbs:
-
ser → era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran
-
ir → iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban
-
ver → veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían
💡 When do you use Imperfect vs. Preterite?
Use Imperfect for background, descriptions, and ongoing actions in the past.
Use Preterite for completed, specific, one-time actions in the past.
💡 What time expressions are common with the Imperfect?
Siempre, a menudo, generalmente, normalmente, de niño, todos los días, mientras, antes.
💡 Can the Imperfect express polite requests or wishes?
Yes, especially with verbs like querer, poder, and deber:
"Quería pedirte un favor" (I wanted to ask you a favor).
💡 Does the Imperfect describe mental or emotional states?
Yes, it’s used for feelings, thoughts, and conditions in the past:
"Ella estaba triste" (She was sad).
💡 Is the Imperfect used in storytelling?
Yes, it sets the scene: weather, time, age, descriptions, ongoing actions.
💡 How can I practice the Spanish Imperfect effectively?
Through narratives, past routines, contrast exercises (Imperfect vs. Preterite), and structured online drills.