The imperfect's headline job is describing habitual, repeated past actions — the things you used to do or would do when something was a pattern in your life. Think of a home video of childhood: no clear beginning or end, just the way things were.
The core meaning
In English, we have two common ways to express past habits: used to do and would do. Both map cleanly to the Spanish imperfect.
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| I used to walk to school. | Caminaba a la escuela. |
| She would visit us every summer. | Nos visitaba todos los veranos. |
| We used to live in Bogotá. | Vivíamos en Bogotá. |
| They would play soccer on Sundays. | Jugaban al fútbol los domingos. |
| You used to call every night. | Llamabas cada noche. |
The classic example
Cuando era niño, iba a la playa todos los veranos.
When I was a boy, I used to go to the beach every summer.
Notice how many tools the imperfect offers at once: era describes a state, iba describes a habit, and todos los veranos reinforces the repetition.
Time markers that signal the imperfect
Certain adverbs and expressions strongly suggest the imperfect is the right choice. When you see these, reach for the -aba or -ía endings.
| Marker | Meaning |
|---|---|
| siempre | always |
| todos los días | every day |
| de niño / de niña | as a child |
| antes | before / in the past |
| cada semana / mes / año | every week / month / year |
De niña, mi hermana siempre me contaba historias de miedo después de clases.
As a child, my sister would always tell me scary stories after school.
Repetition without a time marker
Even without a word like siempre or todos los años, the imperfect can carry the idea of habit on its own. Context usually makes it clear that you are describing a routine rather than a one-time event.
Mi abuelo leía el periódico en la cocina mientras tomaba café.
My grandfather used to read the newspaper in the kitchen while drinking coffee.
Jugábamos cartas hasta muy tarde.
We would play cards until very late.
Contrast: imperfect habits vs. preterite events
Compare these two sentences. The imperfect describes a habit; the preterite describes a single completed trip. Both are grammatical — they just mean different things.
Iba a Cancún cada diciembre.
I used to go to Cancún every December. (habit)
Fui a Cancún en diciembre.
I went to Cancún in December. (single trip)
Stacking habits in a story
In real storytelling, speakers often pile up several imperfects in a row to paint a scene full of habitual activity.
Los domingos mi familia se reunía, comíamos juntos, veíamos películas y hablábamos hasta la noche.
On Sundays my family would gather, we would eat together, watch movies, and talk into the night.
Every verb here is imperfect because the paragraph is not about a specific Sunday — it is about Sundays in general. This rhythm is the signature sound of Spanish reminiscing, and it is worth practicing out loud until it feels natural.
Antes de mudarnos, caminábamos al parque después de cenar casi cada noche.
Before we moved, we used to walk to the park after dinner almost every night.
The imperfect is what lets a Spanish speaker paint a picture of an entire era in a single breath — no need to say usually, often, or typically every time, because the tense itself carries that meaning.
That economy of expression is one of the real pleasures of speaking Spanish fluently.
Common mistakes
❌ De niño, fui al parque cada fin de semana.
Wrong: habitual actions need the imperfect, not the preterite.
✅ De niño, iba al parque cada fin de semana.
Correct: iba (imperfect) for a repeated past routine.
❌ Siempre comí pizza los viernes.
Wrong: siempre + repeated action signals the imperfect.
✅ Siempre comía pizza los viernes.
Correct: comía (imperfect) for habitual actions.
❌ Mi mamá cocinó todos los domingos.
Wrong: todos los domingos is a habit marker — use the imperfect.
✅ Mi mamá cocinaba todos los domingos.
Correct: cocinaba (imperfect) for weekly habits.
Continue to descriptions and background to see the imperfect's other great strength: setting the scene.
Related Topics
- Regular -ar VerbsA2 — Forming the imperfect tense of regular -ar verbs with the endings -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -aban.
- Regular -er and -ir VerbsA2 — Forming the imperfect tense of regular -er and -ir verbs, which share a single set of endings.
- Usage: Descriptions and BackgroundB1 — Using the imperfect to describe people, places, emotions, and weather — setting the scene in past narration.