Imperfect Irregular Verbs: Ser, Ir, and Ver

Here is one of the most encouraging facts about Spanish grammar: the imperfect tense has only three irregular verbs. Just three! Compare this to the preterite, which has dozens of irregulars. The imperfect is remarkably regular — and the three exceptions (ser, ir, ver) are easy to learn.

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Ser (to be) — Imperfect

Person	Conjugation	Translation
yo	era	I was / I used to be
tú	eras	you were / you used to be
él / ella / usted	era	he/she was / used to be
nosotros / nosotras	éramos	we were / we used to be
vosotros / vosotras	erais	you all were / you all used to be
ellos / ellas / ustedes	eran	they were / they used to be

When to Use Ser in the Imperfect

The imperfect of ser is used for:

• Descriptions of people in the past: Era alto y moreno. — He was tall and dark-haired.
• Personality and character: Mi profesora era muy paciente. — My teacher was very patient.
• Age: Cuando yo era niño... — When I was a child...
• Time: Eran las tres de la tarde. — It was three in the afternoon.
• Habitual identity: Éramos estudiantes. — We were students.
• Origin: Ella era de Colombia. — She was from Colombia.

Practice Sentences — Ser

1. Mi abuelo era muy sabio. — My grandfather was very wise.
2. Eran las ocho de la noche cuando llegamos. — It was eight at night when we arrived.
3. De joven, yo era muy tímido. — When I was young, I was very shy.
4. La casa era grande y tenía un jardín. — The house was big and had a garden.
5. Éramos los mejores amigos. — We were the best of friends.

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Ir (to go) — Imperfect

Person	Conjugation	Translation
yo	iba	I was going / I used to go
tú	ibas	you were going / you used to go
él / ella / usted	iba	he/she was going / used to go
nosotros / nosotras	íbamos	we were going / we used to go
vosotros / vosotras	ibais	you all were going / you all used to go
ellos / ellas / ustedes	iban	they were going / they used to go

Note: Unlike the preterite (where ser and ir are identical), in the imperfect they are completely different: era vs. iba.

When to Use Ir in the Imperfect

The imperfect of ir is used for:

• Habitual destinations: Iba al colegio andando. — I used to walk to school.
• Ongoing travel: Íbamos hacia el norte cuando empezó la tormenta. — We were heading north when the storm started.
• Plans in the past (ir + a + infinitive): Iba a llamarte, pero se me olvidó. — I was going to call you, but I forgot.

Practice Sentences — Ir

1. Cada domingo íbamos a misa. — Every Sunday we used to go to church.
2. Iba a la universidad en autobús. — I used to go to university by bus.
3. ¿A dónde ibas cuando te vi? — Where were you going when I saw you?
4. Los niños iban al parque después del colegio. — The children used to go to the park after school.
5. Iba a decirte algo importante. — I was going to tell you something important.

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Ver (to see) — Imperfect

Person	Conjugation	Translation
yo	veía	I was seeing / I used to see
tú	veías	you were seeing / you used to see
él / ella / usted	veía	he/she was seeing / used to see
nosotros / nosotras	veíamos	we were seeing / we used to see
vosotros / vosotras	veíais	you all were seeing
ellos / ellas / ustedes	veían	they were seeing / they used to see

Why is ver irregular? Technically, ver retains the e from the stem (ve-) before the standard -ER/-IR imperfect endings (-ía, -ías, etc.). A truly regular form would be vía, but Spanish preserves the e for clarity: veía. It is the mildest irregularity of the three.

Practice Sentences — Ver