Question

Explain how the imperfect is used to talk about the past.

Answer 1

In Spanish, the imperfect tense (el imperfecto) is used to describe past habitual actions or to talk about what someone was doing at the moment he or she was interrupted by something else. In general, the imperfect is used to talk about past actions, conditions, or events that occurred regularly or frequently or that were in progress in a moment in the past. It is also used to tell time, talk about dates, give a person's age, and describe features, conditions, and feelings in the past.

The following are examples of this tense:

1. Yo jugaba la fútbol cuando yo era pequeño

I played football when I was little

2. Yo miraba la televisión todos los días mientras viví en Chile

I watched television every day while I lived in Chile

Answer 2

Use of the imperfect tense implies that the past action did not have a definite beginning or a definite end. You have now learned the basic difference between the preterite and the imperfect: The preterite tells us specifically when an action took place.