# 31. Imperfect Tense

> Source: [A Complete Guide To Every Fundamental In Spanish (The Conclusion)](https://youtube.com/watch?v=YHDZSHCt1DE&t=8311s)

The Spanish imperfect (*pretérito imperfecto*) describes actions that **used to happen** or **were happening** in the past — habits, ongoing background actions, descriptions, and traits. It is the simplest tense to memorize: only two endings (-ar vs. -er/-ir) and only **three irregular verbs** (ser, ir, ver).

## Key Rules
- Two endings only: one for **-ar** verbs, one shared by **-er** and **-ir** verbs.
- No stem changes, no irregular yo, no spelling-change exceptions.
- Only **three** irregular verbs: **ser → era**, **ir → iba**, **ver → veía**.
- Use it for: habits ("used to"), ongoing background actions ("was -ing"), descriptions, ages, time, and weather in the past.
- Don't confuse with the preterite: preterite = something happened (one specific time); imperfect = used to happen / was happening / ongoing trait.
- For "was/were doing X" you can also say *estar* (imperfect) + gerund: *yo estaba hablando* = *yo hablaba*.

## Conjugation / Pattern Tables

### Regular -ar verbs (hablar)
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | hablaba |
| tú | hablabas |
| él/ella | hablaba |
| nosotros | hablábamos |
| vosotros | hablabais |
| ellos | hablaban |

### Regular -er / -ir verbs (comer, vivir)
| Subject | comer | vivir |
|---|---|---|
| yo | comía | vivía |
| tú | comías | vivías |
| él/ella | comía | vivía |
| nosotros | comíamos | vivíamos |
| vosotros | comíais | vivíais |
| ellos | comían | vivían |

### Irregular: ser, ir, ver
| Subject | ser | ir | ver |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | era | iba | veía |
| tú | eras | ibas | veías |
| él/ella | era | iba | veía |
| nosotros | éramos | íbamos | veíamos |
| vosotros | erais | ibais | veíais |
| ellos | eran | iban | veían |

## Examples
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo hablaba español. | I used to speak Spanish / I was speaking Spanish. |
| Tú caminabas cada día. | You used to walk every day. |
| Él comía por las mañanas. | He used to eat in the mornings. |
| Nosotros vivíamos en Madrid. | We used to live in Madrid. |
| Yo iba a la escuela. | I used to go to school. |
| Yo era estudiante. | I used to be a student. |
| Él era rápido. | He used to be fast. |
| Yo veía la televisión. | I used to watch TV. |
| Yo estaba hablando. | I was speaking. |
| Tú estabas muy feliz. | You were very happy. |
| Eran las tres de la tarde. | It was 3 in the afternoon. |
| Hacía frío. | It was cold (out). |

## Notes & Gotchas
- *Yo fui bonito* (preterite) implies "I was pretty at a specific moment" — sounds odd. Use *Yo era bonito* for the past trait.
- **Past progressive** uses the imperfect of *estar*, never the preterite: *Yo estaba hablando* ✓ / *Yo estuve hablando* ✗ for "I was speaking" as a continuous background action.
- *Ir* has no gerund form ("going" = yendo, but standard is just *iba*).
- Watch the accents: hablábamos, comíamos, vivíamos, éramos, íbamos, veíamos.