When to use imperfect instead of simple past?

The imperfect tense is used for ongoing or repeated actions in the past, while the preterite is used for completed actions that happened at a specific moment.

What are the regular endings for the imperfect tense?

For -ar verbs: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban . For -er and -ir verbs: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían .

Any irregular verbs in the imperfect tense?

Yes, there are only three irregular verbs : ser → era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran ir → iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban ver → veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían

How do I know if a past action requires the imperfect or another tense?

If the action was habitual, ongoing, or had no clear beginning or end , use the imperfect . If it was a single, completed event , use the preterite .

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Spanish Grammar Bank

Grammar Point	Pattern	Example
Imperfect past in Spanish	Remove ending -ar/-er/-ir + add conjugated ending	Yo cocinaba, tú cocinabas, ella cocinaba
With in Spanish	con + noun phrase/subordinate noun clause (person/object)	Llevé al niño con sus padres.
Adjectives in Spanish	Noun + adjectives	La casa nueva
Prepositions in Spanish	Preposition + Object	El coche de Lucía
Genders in Spanish	-
Pronouns in Spanish	yo, tú, él/ella, nosotros/as, vosotros/as, ellos/ellas	Yo camino rápido.
Reflexive verbs in Spanish	Levantarse	Yo me levanto por las mañanas.
Sentence structure in Spanish	Subject + Predicate	Pedro conduce un coche.
Present tense in Spanish	Remove ending -ar/-er/-ir + add conjugated ending	Yo ando, tu andas, ella anda
Simple past tense in Spanish	Remove ending -ar/-er/-ir + add conjugated ending	Yo andé, tú andaste, ella andó
Future tense in Spanish	Remove the ending -ar, -er, -ir + add conjugated conjugation	Yo andaré, tú andarás, ella andará
Continuous tense in Spanish	Auxiliary verb + verb ending in -ando / -iendo	Estoy desayunando.
Por or Para \|\| For in Spanish	Por, Para	Llámale por teléfono. Vamos para mi pueblo.
Asking questions in Spanish	Qué, Cómo, Quién, Dónde, Cuándo...	¿Qué quiere?, ¿Quién eres?, ¿Dónde trabajas?
Reflexive Pronouns in Spanish	Me, te, se, nos, os	Él se ducha por las mañanas.

Grammar Point	Pattern	Example
Together in Spanish	junto a + noun (person/place/thing)	Ellos están junto a la salida.
Also in Spanish	Subject + también + verb + complement	Yo también quiero ir a la fiesta.
Because in Spanish	Main clause + porque + subordinate clause	Pedro compró un coche nuevo porque su coche viejo se estropeó.
But in Spanish	Clause 1 + pero + Clause 2	Estoy cansada, pero haré la cena.
And in Spanish	Clause 1 + y + Clause 2	Mi padre tiene un coche y una moto.
Quantities & measurements in Spanish	Numeral + unit of measurement	La casa mide dos metros de altura.
Comparatives & superlatives in Spanish	Más/menos + adjective/adverb + que	Marta habla más que su hermano.
Imperative form in Spanish	Verb + Pronoun-(attached)	Come aquí
Negatives in Spanish	No + verb	No tengo ganas de ir a trabajar.
Measure words in Spanish	Measure word + de + noun	Bebo dos litros de agua a diario.
Adverbs in Spanish	Verb + adverb	Ella baila bien
Conditional tense in Spanish	Stem + conditional ending	Llamar → yo llamaría

Grammar Point	Pattern	Example
Quoting someone in Spanish	Subject + Introductory Verb + “Quoted Speech”	Ella me preguntó: “¿Tienes prisa?”
Passive voice in Spanish	Subject + ser + past participle of the main verb + (optional agent complement)	Las piezas son fabricadas por la máquina.

Spanish Grammar Bank

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