{"id":39622,"date":"2025-07-29T09:55:50","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T07:55:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ihmadrid.com\/?p=39622"},"modified":"2026-04-06T16:23:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T14:23:07","slug":"imperfect-tense-spanish-conjugation-when-to-use-it-irregular-verbs-and-examples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ihmadrid.com\/en\/blog\/imperfect-tense-spanishhtml","title":{"rendered":"Imperfect tense Spanish: Conjugation, when to use it, irregular verbs and examples"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learning Spanish can be a truly rewarding experience, but one of the more challenging aspects for many students is mastering the different past tenses, especially knowing when to use each one. Whether you\u2019re taking <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ihmadrid.com\/en\/spanish\/online\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">online Spanish classes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or attending a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ihmadrid.com\/en\/spanish\/courses\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spanish course in Madrid<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, getting a good grasp of the imperfect tense is key to sounding more natural and fluent.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this post, we\u2019ll focus on understanding the <\/span><b>imperfect tense in Spanish<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: how it works, when to use it, and how to conjugate both regular and irregular verbs. So let\u2019s explore it below.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What is the imperfect tense in Spanish?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, <\/span><b>what exactly is the imperfect tense in Spanish? Well, it is a past tense which describes actions that were ongoing, habitual, or incomplete in the past.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Whereas the preterite tense refers to completed actions, the imperfect is used to describe the background of a situation, such as things that were happening, used to happen or were true for an unspecified duration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>A useful tip with Spanish imperfect tense sentences is to think of it like a background tense. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conjugating verbs in this way can help set the scene or describe what used to happen without focusing on when the action started or ended. If you\u2019re telling a story, the imperfect can fill in the mood, the environment or what people were doing in the background.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>When do you use the imperfect tense in Spanish?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>The imperfect tense in Spanish is mainly used for five purposes:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to describe <\/span><b>habitual actions in the past<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. These are activities that used to happen regularly in the past, such as daily routines or repeated behaviors. Example: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Siempre com\u00edamos juntos los domingo<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">s = We always ate together on Sundays<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to refer to <\/span><b>ongoing actions in the past<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Actions that were in progress at a particular moment in the past, often interrupted by another action in the preterite. Example: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Le\u00eda un libro cuando son\u00f3 el tel\u00e9fono<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> = I was reading a book when the phone rang.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to provide <\/span><b>background details or descriptions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The imperfect is ideal for setting the scene in a narrative\u2014describing the weather, the setting, physical appearance, or other contextual elements. Example: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hac\u00eda mucho calor y las calles estaban vac\u00edas<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> = It was very hot and the streets were empty.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to discuss <\/span><b>past time and age<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This includes saying how old someone was or what time it was at a certain moment in the past. Example: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ten\u00eda diez a\u00f1os cuando me mud\u00e9 a Espa\u00f1a<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> = I was ten years old when I moved to Spain.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and to describe <\/span><b>mental or emotional states<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. When talking about feelings, thoughts, desires or emotions in the past, especially when they lasted for an undefined period. Example: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Estaba cansada y no quer\u00eda salir<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> = She was tired and didn\u2019t want to go out<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s the tense you\u2019d use to talk about childhood routines, the weather during an event or how someone felt during a particular moment in the past, without focusing on when the action started or ended.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Conjugations: the verb tables for the imperfect tense<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>When it comes to the imperfect tense in Spanish conjugations, the good news is that it is one of the more regular tenses to learn<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Most verbs follow a standard pattern, while<\/span><b> there are only three Spanish imperfect tense irregular verbs, namely \u201cser\u201d, \u201cir\u201d and \u201cver\u201d.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, <\/span><b>how do we conjugate regular verbs in the imperfect tense? <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Firstly, we need to keep in mind that\u00a0 Spanish verbs are grouped into three main categories based on their infinitive endings: -ar, -er, and -ir. We then remove the ending and add the Spanish verb conjugation. Below, we\u2019ll outline an imperfect tense in Spanish chart for each of these verb types, so we can check out some examples.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Imperfect tense Spanish verb conjugations for -ar verbs (Eg, hablar = to speak):<\/b><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Subject<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Verb ending<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Example<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yo<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-aba<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yo hablaba = I was speaking<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">T\u00fa<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-abas<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">T\u00fa hablabas = You were speaking <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(informal, singular)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00c9l\/Ella<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-aba<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00c9l\/Ella hablaba = He\/She was speaking<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Usted<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-aba<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Usted hablaba = You were speaking <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(formal, singular)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nosotros<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-\u00e1bamos<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nosotros habl\u00e1bamos = We were speaking<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vosotros<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-abais<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vosotros hablabais = You were speaking <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(informal, plural)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ellos\/Ellas<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-aban<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ellos\/Ellas hablaban = They were speaking<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ustedes<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-aban<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ustedes hablaban = You were speaking <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(formal, plural)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><b>Imperfect tense Spanish verb conjugations for -er verbs (Eg, comer = to eat):<\/b><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Subject<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Verb ending<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Example<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yo<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-\u00eda<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yo com\u00eda = I was eating<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">T\u00fa<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-\u00edas<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">T\u00fa com\u00edas = You were eating <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(informal, singular)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00c9l\/Ella<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-\u00eda<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00c9l\/Ella com\u00eda = He\/She was eating<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Usted<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-\u00eda<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Usted com\u00eda = You were eating <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(formal, singular)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nosotros<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-\u00edamos<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nosotros com\u00edamos = We were eating<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vosotros<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-\u00edais<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vosotros com\u00edais = You were eating <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(informal, plural)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ellos\/Ellas<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-\u00edan<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ellos\/Ellas com\u00edan = They were eating<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ustedes<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-\u00edan<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ustedes com\u00edan = You were eating <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(formal, plural)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><b>Imperfect tense Spanish verb conjugations for -ir verbs (Eg, vivir = to live):<\/b><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Subject<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Verb ending<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Example<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yo<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-\u00eda<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yo viv\u00eda = I was living<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">T\u00fa<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-\u00edas<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">T\u00fa viv\u00edas = You were living <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(informal, singular)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00c9l\/Ella<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-\u00eda<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00c9l\/Ella viv\u00eda = He\/She was living<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Usted<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-\u00eda<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Usted viv\u00eda = You were living <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(formal, singular)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nosotros<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-\u00edamos<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nosotros viv\u00edamos = We were living<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vosotros<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-\u00edais<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vosotros viv\u00edais = You were living <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(informal, plural)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ellos\/Ellas<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-\u00edan<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ellos\/Ellas viv\u00edan = They were living<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ustedes<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-\u00edan<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ustedes viv\u00edan = You were living <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(formal, plural)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><b>Imperfect tense in Spanish irregular verbs<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since there are only three irregular verbs for the imperfect tense in Spanish, let\u2019s break all three of them down here:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Imperfect tense Spanish verb conjugations for ser (to be):<\/b><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Subject<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Verb form and translation<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yo<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Era = I was<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">T\u00fa<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eras = You were <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(informal, singular)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00c9l\/Ella<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Era = He\/She was<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Usted<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Era = You were <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(formal, singular)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nosotros<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00c9ramos = We were<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vosotros<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Erais = You were <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(informal, plural)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ellos\/Ellas<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eran = They were<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ustedes<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eran = You were <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(formal, plural)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><b>Imperfect tense Spanish verb conjugations for \u201cir\u201d (to go):<\/b><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Subject<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Verb form and translation<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yo<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Iba = I was going<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">T\u00fa<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ibas = You were going <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(informal, singular)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00c9l\/Ella<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Iba = He\/She was going<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Usted<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Iba = You were going <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(formal, singular)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nosotros<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00cdbamos = We were going<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vosotros<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ibais = You were going <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(informal, plural)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ellos\/Ellas<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Iban = They were going<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ustedes<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Iban = You were going <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(formal, plural)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><b>Imperfect tense Spanish verb conjugations for \u201cver\u201d (to see):<\/b><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Subject<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Verb form and translation<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yo<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ve\u00eda = I was seeing<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">T\u00fa<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ve\u00edas = You were seeing <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(informal, singular)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00c9l\/Ella<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ve\u00eda = He\/She was seeing<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Usted<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ve\u00eda = You were seeing<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (formal, singular)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nosotros<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ve\u00edamos = We were seeing<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vosotros<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ve\u00edais = You were seeing<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (informal, plural)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ellos\/Ellas<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ve\u00edan = They were seeing<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ustedes<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ve\u00edan = You were seeing<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (formal, plural)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to know even more about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ihmadrid.com\/en\/blog\/spanish-verb-conjugation.html\"><b>Spanish verb conjugation: tenses and regular vs irregular verbs<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, then don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s something you\u2019ll be taught on any Spanish course, whether you\u2019re studying an online one or whether you\u2019re taking <\/span><b>Spanish courses in Madrid<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. If you&#8217;re planning to study in person, don\u2019t forget to explore your options for<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ihmadrid.com\/en\/spanish\/student-accommodation-madrid.html\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">accommodation in Madrid<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to make the most of your learning experience in the city.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Imperfect tense in Spanish examples<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To conclude this guide to the imperfect tense in Spanish, let\u2019s take a look at a few examples as part of full sentences, to better understand how this tense works and when to use it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I used to walk to school every day = <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Caminaba a la escuela todos los d\u00edas<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She always felt tired in the mornings = <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Siempre se sent\u00eda cansada por las ma\u00f1anas<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was raining and the streets were empty = <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Llov\u00eda y las calles estaban vac\u00edas<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I was eight years old when I learned to ride a bike = <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ten\u00eda ocho a\u00f1os cuando aprend\u00ed a montar en bicicleta<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We often visited our grandparents on Sundays = <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A menudo visit\u00e1bamos a nuestros abuelos los domingos<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The house was old but full of charm = <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">La casa era antigua pero llena de encanto<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He used to play the guitar every afternoon = <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tocaba la guitarra todas las tardes<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They were watching TV while I was reading = <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ellos ve\u00edan la tele mientras yo le\u00eda<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was cold and windy outside = <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hac\u00eda fr\u00edo y viento fuera<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a child, she dreamed of becoming a pilot = <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">De ni\u00f1a, so\u00f1aba con ser piloto<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You always helped me with my homework = <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Siempre me ayudabas con los deberes<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He didn\u2019t like vegetables when he was a kid = <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No le gustaban las verduras cuando era ni\u00f1o<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mastering the imperfect tense is essential for communicating fluently in Spanish, especially when sharing stories or describing past experiences. With regular practice, and the right guidance it will soon become second nature. Ready to take the next step in your Spanish journey?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learning Spanish can be a truly rewarding experience, but one of the more challenging aspects for many students is mastering the different past tenses, especially knowing when to use each one. Whether you\u2019re taking online Spanish classes or attending a Spanish course in Madrid, getting a good grasp of the imperfect tense is key to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1080,"featured_media":39624,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[583,973,904],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spanish-programs","category-spanish-courses-in-madrid","category-spanish-school-madrid"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ihmadrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ihmadrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ihmadrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ihmadrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1080"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ihmadrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39622"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ihmadrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39622\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39627,"href":"https:\/\/www.ihmadrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39622\/revisions\/39627"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ihmadrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ihmadrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ihmadrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ihmadrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}