EL IMPERFECTO Imperfect Tense Imperfect shows repeated andor

EL IMPERFECTO

Imperfect Tense • Imperfect: shows repeated and/or habitual action that happened in the past. • Example: I was living in Palos Verdes. I was studying Spanish.

• In addition to repeated/habitual action in the past, the imperfect is used to describe the following in the past: • people • events places weather location dates objects time

Location • Ellos estaban en la casa. (They were at home. )

Time • Eran las cinco menos veintitres de la tarde. (It was 4: 37 in the afternoon. )

Date • Era el treinta y uno de enero. (It was January 31 st. )

Weather • Llovía. (It was raining. )

Describing People

Appearance • Marcela era alta y bonita. (Marcela was tall and pretty. )

Age • Ellos tenían dos años. (They were 2 years old. )

Physical condition • Siempre ella estaba llena de energía. (She was always full of energy. )

Emotional state • Él estaba muy contenta. (She was happy. )

Attitudes/Desires • Les gustaban los deportes. (They liked sports. )

What does the Imperfect tense do? • Imperfect: shows repeated and/or habitual action that happened in the past.

Which one is the imperfect? • Yo fui a la tienda. (I went to the store. ) • Yo era baja. (I used to be short. )

• Yo hablé español ayer. (I spoke Spanish yesterday. ) • Yo hablaba español. (I used to speak Spanish. )