Introduction
Talking about past habits and routines is essential for telling stories and sharing memories in any language. If you want to express what you used to do in Spanish, you’ll need to master the imperfect tense. This versatile grammatical structure allows you to describe ongoing actions in the past, repeated behaviors, and the way things were before. Let’s explore how to naturally express these concepts like a native speaker.
Understanding the Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense, known as el pretérito imperfecto in Spanish, is your go-to tool for expressing I used to do something. Unlike English, where we need the helping phrase used to, Spanish builds this meaning directly into the verb conjugation itself.
When you say Yo jugaba al fútbol, you’re expressing I used to play soccer or I was playing soccer. The verb ending alone carries all that meaning, making it incredibly efficient once you learn the patterns.
Regular Verb Conjugations
AR Verbs in the Imperfect
For verbs ending in -ar, the imperfect tense follows a straightforward pattern. Let’s use hablar (to speak) as our example:
Yo hablaba
Tú hablabas
Él/Ella/Usted hablaba
Nosotros hablábamos
Vosotros hablabais
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes hablaban
Notice how the stem habl- stays constant, and only the endings change. This consistency makes -ar verbs particularly easy to master in the imperfect tense.
ER and IR Verbs in the Imperfect
Verbs ending in -er and -ir share the same endings in the imperfect tense. Using comer (to eat) and vivir (to live) as examples:
Yo comía / vivía
Tú comías / vivías
Él/Ella/Usted comía / vivía
Nosotros comíamos / vivíamos
Vosotros comíais / vivíais
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes comían / vivían
The beautiful simplicity here is that once you learn one pattern, you know both -er and -ir verbs in the imperfect.
The Three Irregular Verbs
Spanish speakers love to say their language has very few irregular verbs in the imperfect tense, and they’re right. Only three verbs break the pattern: ser (to be), ir (to go), and ver (to see).
Ser (To Be)
Yo era
Tú eras
Él/Ella/Usted era
Nosotros éramos
Vosotros erais
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes eran
This verb is crucial because it helps you describe how things used to be. For example: Yo era muy tímido means I used to be very shy.
Ir (To Go)
Yo iba
Tú ibas
Él/Ella/Usted iba
Nosotros íbamos
Vosotros ibais
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes iban
This verb appears constantly when discussing past routines: Iba a la biblioteca todos los días translates to I used to go to the library every day.
Ver (To See)
Yo veía
Tú veías
Él/Ella/Usted veía
Nosotros veíamos
Vosotros veíais
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes veían
While ver is technically irregular, it follows the standard -er pattern so closely that many learners don’t even notice the irregularity. The stem is simply ve- instead of the expected v-.
Common Expressions with the Imperfect
Certain time expressions naturally pair with the imperfect tense because they signal habitual or repeated actions in the past.
Siempre (always): Siempre desayunaba cereal – I always used to eat cereal for breakfast
Todos los días (every day): Todos los días caminaba al trabajo – I used to walk to work every day
Cada semana (each week): Cada semana visitaba a mis abuelos – I used to visit my grandparents each week
Generalmente (generally): Generalmente llegaba temprano – I generally used to arrive early
A menudo (often): A menudo leía antes de dormir – I often used to read before sleeping
De niño/niña (as a child): De niño jugaba en el parque – As a child, I used to play in the park
Practical Examples in Context
Let’s see how native speakers naturally use the imperfect tense in everyday conversations:
Cuando vivía en Madrid, tomaba el metro todos los días – When I used to live in Madrid, I took the metro every day
Mis hermanos y yo siempre peleábamos por el control remoto – My siblings and I always used to fight over the remote control
En la universidad, mis amigos y yo estudiábamos juntos en la cafetería – In college, my friends and I used to study together in the cafeteria
Mi abuela preparaba las mejores empanadas del mundo – My grandmother used to make the best empanadas in the world
¿Tú también veías ese programa cuando eras pequeño? – Did you also used to watch that show when you were little?
Imperfect vs Preterite: Knowing the Difference
One challenge for English speakers is understanding when to use the imperfect versus the preterite tense. The key distinction lies in how you view the action.
Use the imperfect when describing:
Ongoing actions without a clear endpoint: Llovía cuando salí – It was raining when I left
Habitual or repeated actions: Comía pizza los viernes – I used to eat pizza on Fridays
Background descriptions: La casa era grande y tenía un jardín bonito – The house was big and had a nice garden
Age, time, and mental states in the past: Tenía diez años – I was ten years old
The preterite, in contrast, focuses on completed actions with definite beginning and end points.
Cultural Notes on Nostalgia
Spanish speakers often use the imperfect tense when sharing nostalgic memories. In Latin American and Spanish culture, reminiscing about childhood, family traditions, and old neighborhoods is a common conversation topic.
You’ll frequently hear phrases like Antes todo era diferente (Everything used to be different before) or En mis tiempos (In my time) followed by imperfect verbs. These expressions create a warm, reflective tone that connects people through shared experiences.
Practice Tips for Mastery
To internalize the imperfect tense, try these effective strategies:
Write about your childhood routines using as many imperfect verbs as possible. Describe what you used to do after school, on weekends, or during holidays.
Listen to native speakers tell stories in Spanish. Pay attention to how they naturally switch between the imperfect and preterite to create narrative flow.
Create flashcards with common verbs in their imperfect forms. Focus on high-frequency verbs like estar, tener, hacer, decir, and poder.
Interview someone in Spanish about their past. Ask questions like ¿Qué hacías los fines de semana? (What did you use to do on weekends?) or ¿Cómo era tu escuela? (What was your school like?).
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Beginning learners often make these errors when using the imperfect tense:
Using the preterite instead of the imperfect for habitual actions. Remember, if it happened repeatedly or regularly, the imperfect is usually correct.
Forgetting the accent marks on nosotros forms, particularly hablábamos, comíamos, and íbamos. These accents are essential for proper pronunciation.
Overusing the imperfect. Not every past action requires the imperfect tense. Specific, completed events need the preterite.
Mixing up era and fue. While both come from ser, era (imperfect) describes ongoing states, while fue (preterite) indicates a specific event or change.
Conclusion
Mastering how to say I used to in Spanish opens up rich possibilities for storytelling and connection. The imperfect tense allows you to paint vivid pictures of past experiences, share childhood memories, and describe the way life once was. With regular verbs following predictable patterns and only three irregular verbs to memorize, this tense is more accessible than it might first appear. Practice regularly, immerse yourself in native content, and soon you’ll be sharing your own stories with confidence and fluency.
