1. Copyright © 2014 Vista Higher Learning. All rights reserved.10.1-1 In Lessons 6–9, you learned the preterite tense. Now you will learn the imperfect tense, which describes past activities in a different way.

2. Copyright © 2014 Vista Higher Learning. All rights reserved.10.1-2 The imperfect endings of –er and –ir verbs are the same. The nosotros form of –ar verbs has an accent on the first a of the ending. –Er and –ir verb forms carry an accent on the first i of the ending.

3. Copyright © 2014 Vista Higher Learning. All rights reserved.10.1-3 There are no stem changes in the imperfect tense. Me duelen los pies.Me dolían los pies. My feet hurt.My feet were hurting.

4. Copyright © 2014 Vista Higher Learning. All rights reserved.10.1-4 The imperfect form of hay is había (there was/were/used to be). Había sólo un médico.Había dos pacientes allí. There was only one doctor.There were two patients there.

5. Copyright © 2014 Vista Higher Learning. All rights reserved.10.1-5 Ir, ser, and ver are the only irregular verbs in the imperfect.

6. Copyright © 2014 Vista Higher Learning. All rights reserved.10.1-6 Uses of the imperfect The imperfect is used to describe past events in a different way than the preterite. Generally, the imperfect describes actions which are seen by the speaker as incomplete or continuing, while the preterite describes actions which have been completed. The imperfect expresses what was happening at a certain time or how things used to be. —¿Qué te pasó?—Me torcí el tobillo. What happened to you?I sprained my ankle. —¿Dónde vivías de niño?—Vivía en San José. Where did you live as a child?I lived in San José.

7. Copyright © 2014 Vista Higher Learning. All rights reserved.10.1-7 Uses of the imperfect (cont’d) Use these expressions with the imperfect to express habitual or repeated actions: de niño/a (as a child), todos los días (every day), mientras (while).

8. Copyright © 2014 Vista Higher Learning. All rights reserved.10.1-8 Uses of the imperfect (cont’d)