You've learned the regular endings for the imperfect tense. The great news is that there are only three irregular verbs in the entire imperfect tense: ser (to be), ir (to go), and ver (to see). Let's use them to describe what neighborhoods used to look like!
The verb ser (to be)
The imperfect forms of ser are completely irregular. Notice the written accent mark on the nosotros form (éramos).
| Pronoun | Imperfect form |
|---|---|
| yo | era |
| tú | eras |
| él/ella/usted | era |
| nosotros/nosotras | éramos |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | eran |
| That avenue was very wide. | Esa avenida era anchísima. |
| Those sidewalks were narrow. | Esas aceras eran estrechas. |
The verb ir (to go)
The verb ir is also completely irregular. Just like with ser, the only accent mark is on the nosotros form (íbamos).
| Pronoun | Imperfect form |
|---|---|
| yo | iba |
| tú | ibas |
| él/ella/usted | iba |
| nosotros/nosotras | íbamos |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | iban |
| He used to go to the kiosk in that neighborhood. | Él iba al kiosco en ese vecindario. |
| We used to go to that neighborhood. | Nosotros íbamos a ese vecindario. |
The verb ver (to see)
The verb ver is barely irregular! It simply keeps its e before adding the exact same regular -er imperfect endings you already know. Just like regular verbs, every form has an accent mark on the í.
| Pronoun | Imperfect form |
|---|---|
| yo | veía |
| tú | veías |
| él/ella/usted | veía |
| nosotros/nosotras | veíamos |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | veían |
| I used to see the tram on the avenue. | Yo veía el tranvía en la avenida. |
| You used to see those kiosks on the avenue. | Ustedes veían esos kioscos en la avenida. |
Here is one more example combining these verbs to describe past habits in the city:
| I used to go to that statue and see the fountain. | Yo iba a esa estatua y veía la fuente. |