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Imperfect practice

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1. The written lesson is below.

2. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.

In a previous lesson, you learned that the imperfect is used for past actions that are not seen as completed. Use of the imperfect tense implies that the past action did not have a definite beginning or a definite end. You also learned how to conjugate regular -ar verbs. In this lesson, you will learn how to conjugate -er and -ir verbs, and become more familiar with the uses of the imperfect.

To conjugate regular -ar verbs in the imperfect, simply drop the ending (-ar) and add one of the following:

To conjugate regular -er and -ir verbs in the imperfect, simply drop the ending (-er or -ir) and add one of the following:

Here are all three regular imperfect verb forms together:

The imperfect is used for actions that were repeated habitually.

Almorzábamos juntos todos los días.
We would lunch together every day.

Las señoras siempre charlaban por las mañanas.
The ladies would always chat in the mornings.

The imperfect is used for actions that "set the stage" for another action.

Yo leía cuando entró mi papá.
I was reading when my papa entered. (note that "entered" is preterite)

The imperfect is used for telling time and stating one's age.

Eran las siete de la noche.
It was seven o'clock at night.

La niña tenía cinco años.
The little girl was five years old.

The above examples all fall within our general rule for using the imperfect:
The imperfect is used for past actions that are not seen as completed.
Let's add two more flashcards for regular -er and -ir verbs in the imperfect tense:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The written lesson is below. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left. In a previous lesson, you learned that the imperfect is used for past actions that are not seen as completed. Use of the imperfect tense implies that the past action did not have a definite beginning or a definite end.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
1. The written lesson is below.

2. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.

The past perfect is formed by combining the auxiliary verb "had" with the past participle.

I had studied.
He had written a letter to María.
We had been stranded for six days.

Because the past perfect is a compound tense, two verbs are required: the main verb and the auxiliary verb.

I had studied.
(main verb: studied ; auxiliary verb: had)

He had written a letter to María.
(main verb: written ; auxiliary verb: had)

We had been stranded for six days.
(main verb: been ; auxiliary verb: had)

In Spanish, the past perfect tense is formed by using the imperfect tense of the auxiliary verb "haber" with the past participle. Haber is conjugated as follows:

You have already learned in a previous lesson that the past participle is formed by dropping the infinitive ending and adding either -ado or -ido. Remember, some past participles are irregular. The following examples all use the past participle for the verb "vivir."
For a review of the formation of the past participle [click here].
When you studied the past participle, you practiced using it as an adjective. When used as an adjective, the past participle changes to agree with the noun it modifies. However, when used in the perfect tenses, the past participle never changes.

Past participle used as an adjective:
La puerta está cerrada.
The door is closed.

Past participle used in the past perfect tense:
Yo había cerrado la puerta.
I had closed the door.

Here are a couple of more examples:

Past participle used as an adjective:
Las puertas están abiertas.
The doors are open.

Past participle used in the past perfect tense:
Juan había abierto las puertas.
Juan had opened the doors.

Note that when used to form the perfect tenses, only the base form (abierto) is used.

Let's look more carefully at the last example:

Notice that we use "había" to agree with "Juan". We do NOT use "habían" to agree with "puertas." The auxiliary verb is conjugated for the subject of the sentence, not the object. Compare these two examples:

In the first example, we use "había" because the subject of the sentence is "Juan." In the second example, we use "habían" because the subject of the sentence is "Juan y María."

The past perfect tense is used when a past action was completed prior to another past action. Expressions such as "ya", "antes", "nunca", "todavía" and "después" will often appear in sentences where one action was completed before another.

Cuando llegaron los padres, los niños ya habían comido.
When the parents arrived, the children had already eaten.

Yo había comido antes de llamarles.
I had eaten prior to calling them.

This idea of a past action being completed before another past action need not always be stated; it can be implied.

Juan había cerrado la ventana. (implied)
Juan had closed the window.

The auxiliary verb and the past participle are never separated. To make the sentence negative, add the word "no" before the conjugated form of haber.

Again, the auxiliary verb and the past participle are never separated. Object pronouns are placed immediately before the auxiliary verb.

To make this sentence negative, the word "no" is placed before the indirect object pronoun (le).

With reflexive verbs, the reflexive pronoun is placed immediatedly before the auxiliary verb. Compare how the present perfect differs from the simple present, when a reflexive verb is used.

To make this sentence negative, the word "no" is placed before the reflexive pronoun (me).

For a review of reflexive verbs click [here] and [here].
Questions are formed as follows. Note how the word order is different than the English equivalent.

¿Habían llegado ya las chicas?
Had the girls arrived yet?

¿Habías probado ya el postre?
Had you tried the dessert yet?

Here are the same questions in negative form. Notice how the auxiliary verb and the past participle are not separated.

Let's add another verb flashcard for the past perfect tense:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The written lesson is below. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left. The past perfect is formed by combining the auxiliary verb "had" with the past participle. I had studied. He had written a letter to María. We had been stranded for six days.