Term
| Imperfect indicative means incomplete. It is a tense used to express or describe an action, event, or state of being that as incomplete, continuous, or habitual in the past.To express an action in the past that went on simultaneously with another action |
|
Definition
| Mientras que mi madre leía, mid padre miraba la televisión |
|
|
Term
| To express an action that was ongoing while another action occurred in the past |
|
Definition
| Mi hermana excuchaba un disco cuando llamé por teléfono |
|
|
Term
| To indicate a past action, desire, condition, etc. that took place habitually |
|
Definition
Cuando estábamos en Ecuador, íbamos con frecuencia al mar.
De niño, yo siempre quería comer las alcachofas - As a child, I always wanted to eat artichokes |
|
|
Term
| To describe a former, earlier, or bygone mental, emotional, or physical condition or situation. The most common verbs |
|
Definition
| creer, estar, pensar, poder, preferir, querer, ñsaber, sentir, ser, tener |
|
|
Term
| As a child, she had blonde hair |
|
Definition
| De niña, ella tenía el pelo rubio |
|
|
Term
| As a child, I knew how to speak two languages |
|
Definition
| De niña, yo sabía hablar dos idiomas |
|
|
Term
| to refer to routine time of the day in the past |
|
Definition
| ?A qué hora tenías la clase de español? - At what time did you used to have Spanish class? |
|
|
Term
| To quote someone directly in the past |
|
Definition
| Carlos dijo que él iba a la fiesta - Carlos said that he was going to a party |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Eran las cinco de la tarde cuando regresé a casa - It was 5 p.m. when I returned home
Yo tenía treinta años pasado - I was thirty last year |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
yo - aba
tú - abas
él, ella, Ud. - aba
nosotros/as - ábamos
ellos/as Uds. - aban |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
hablaba
hablabas
hablaba
hablámos
hablaban |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
yo - ía
tú - ías
él, ella, Ud. - ía
nosotros/as - íamos
ellos/as Uds. - ían |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
comía
comías
comía
comíamos
comían |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
abría
abrías
abría
abríamos
abrían |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
me lavaba
te lavabas
se lavaba
nos lavábamos
se lavaban |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
veía
veías
veía
veíamos
veían |
|
|
Term
| Grammar note! Hacer/to do, to make, may appear in a special idiomatic construction with the imperfect indicative tense as illustrated below. Indicates that a specified activity began in the past and continued in the past |
|
Definition
?Desde cuándo estudiabas español? - How long had you been studying Spanish?
Hacía un año que yo estudiaba español. - I had been studying Spanish for a year |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Había mucho papel en la calle. - There was a lot of paper in the street
Había muchas personas en la fiesta - there were a lot of people at the party |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Había que ir a Quito para estudiar la literatura ecuatoriana. - It was necessary to go to Quito to study Ecuadorean literature |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Repeated or habitual past action |
|
Definition
| Vicente estudiaba todos los días - Vincent studied every day |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Eran las dos de la tarde - It was 2:00 pm |
|
|
Term
| To express the English phrase "used to" i.e., a repeated activity in the past |
|
Definition
| Clara iba a la universidad por la mañana - Clara used to go to the university in the morning |
|
|
Term
| to espress (1) mental (2) physical, (3) or emotional activity |
|
Definition
Pilar pensaba que llovía - Pilar thought it was raining
Fernando estaba cansado - F. was tired
B. quería mucho a Gloria - B. loved Gloria a lot |
|
|
Term
| To refer to two actions that occur simultaneously in the past |
|
Definition
| Mientras Carla bailaba, Ignacio hablaba con Antonio - While C. was danding, I. was speaking with A. |
|
|
Term
| To refer t an activity in progress in the past while something else took place |
|
Definition
| Mientras I. preparaba la comida, J. terminó su tarea - While I was preparing the meal, G. completed his homework. |
|
|
