Spanish grammar

Imperfect

The imperfect describes the past as setting rather than event: what used to happen, what was happening, what the world was like. Almost always paired with the preterite in real narrative.

Regular imperfect endings (-aba / -ía) plus the three irregulars (ser → era, ir → iba, ver → veía)

Real Examples from Native Speakers

"no tenía dinero. Dinero,"

Cocinar en casa o comer fuera en Tailandia

How it works

Formula

Regular imperfect endings (-aba / -ía) plus the three irregulars (ser → era, ir → iba, ver → veía)

This page combines the textbook rule with real-world Spanish: every example is an unscripted clip from a real native speaker. You're hearing how this grammar point sounds in real life, not in a classroom.

See also