#2 Spanish Imperfect Indicative Verb Tense

(Was eating, Ate, Used to eat)

  • Past tense, incomplete, continuous in the past and when completion is not indicated.
  • Action in the past at the same time as another action: My brother was reading and my father was talking. Mi hermano leía (#2) y mi padre hablaba(#2)
  • An action that was going on in the past when another action occurred: Mi Hermana cantaba (#2) cuando yo entré (#3)
  • Habitual action in the past: Cuando estábamos (were #2) en Fantino, íbamos ( From verb ir =To Go #2 Went, Used to go, would go) al Bon todos los sábados
  • Description of a Mental, emotional or physical condition of the past:
    • Mental Condition: Quería ir al reunion. Common verbs Creer, desear, pensar, poder, preferir, querer, saber, sentir.
    • Emotional Condition: Estaba (I was) contento de verlo
    • Physical Condition: Ella era (was) bonita cuando era joven.
  • Time of day in the past: Que hora era? What time was it? – Eran tres en la tarde. It was 3:00
  • An action that happened in the past, lasted for a certain amount of time and was prior to another event: Hacia (I had been) tres horas que miraba (watching) el televisor cuando mi hermano entró
  • An indirect quotation of the past:
    • Present: Dice (he says) que quire (wants to) venir a mi casa
    • Past: Dijo (he said) que quería (wanted to come) venir a mi casa