EL IMPERFECTO – THE IMPERFECT Prof. A. Cronk
EL IMPERFECTO – THE IMPERFECT The Imperfect is often called the Descriptive Past Tense because we "set scenes" using the Imperfect Tense. The Imperfect handles three different Past tense constructions in English: I studied at Arizona State University. (we don't know if I finished or not.) I used to study at ASU. I was studying at ASU.
EL IMPERFECTO – THE IMPERFECT It is important to note that we use the Imperfect to indicate we "were doing" something. In other words, we use the Imperfect to say: I was studying last night, while Susana was watching television Yo estudiaba anoche mientras que Susana miraba la televisión.
USES OF IMPERFECT TENSE The imperfect is used for actions that "set the stage" for another action. The imperfect is used for telling time and stating one's age. The imperfect is used for actions that were repeated habitually
Forms of the imperfect: Regular verbs Stem: Take the infinitive, and remove the last two letters (the infinitive ending): Hablar > habl-; comer > com-; vivir > viv-. Endings: -ar verbs: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban. -er and -ir verbs: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían.
Imperfect: Irregular verbs There are only three verbs that are irregular in the Imperfect: Ser, Ir, and Ver! ser ver ir era eras era éramos erais eran veía veías veía veíamos veíais veían iba ibas iba íbamos ibais iban
AHORA TENEIS QUE ESTUDIAR!!