O past tense imperfect is a tense used to indicate actions that occurred in the past. It is conjugated in indicative and subjunctive modes.
Besides it, there are two other types of past tense: past perfect and more-than-perfect.
Imperfect tense of the indicative
At the indicative mode, this tense is used to refer to an unfinished event that occurred in the past. Therefore, it conveys an idea of continuity.
For regular verbs, whose conjugation follows a pattern, the imperfect past tense has the following endings:
| 1st conjugation (-ar) | 2nd conjugation (-er) | 3rd conjugation (-ir) |
|---|---|---|
| (I) radical + -ava | (I) radical + -ia | (I) radical + -ia |
| (You) radical + -avas | (You) radical + -ias | (You) radical + -ias |
| (He) radical + -ava | (He) radical + -ia | (He) radical + -ia |
| (We) radical + -we were | (We) radical + -we would | (We) radical + -we would |
| (you) radical + -able | (you) radical + -bels | (you) radical + -bels |
| (They) radical + -vam | (They) radical + -iam | (They) radical + -iam |
Imperfect Subjunctive Past tense
At the subjunctive mode, the past tense is used to express desires and events that are determined by others. Its use can indicate an action from the present, the past or the future.
For regular verbs, which do not undergo changes in their stem, the imperfect subjunctive past tense has the following endings:
| 1st conjugation (-ar) | 2nd conjugation (-er) | 3rd conjugation (-ir) |
|---|---|---|
| (I) radical + -ass | (I) radical + -this | (I) radical + -isse |
| (You) radical + -asses | (You) radical + -those | (You) radical + -isses |
| (He) radical + -ass | (He) radical + -this | (He) radical + -isse |
| (We) radical + -ásemos | (We) radical + - these | (We) radical + -ísmos |
| (you) radical + -assile | (you) radical + -six | (You) radical + -missiles |
| (They) radical + -assemble | (They) radical + -ess | (They) radical + -issem |
Examples
See below a table with verbs of the three conjugations (-ar, -er, -ir) in the indicative and subjunctive way:
Indicative mode
| 1st conjugation (-ar) – verb to love | 2nd conjugation (-er) – verb to eat | 3rd conjugation (-ir) – verb permit |
|---|---|---|
| I loved | I ate | I allowed |
| you loved | you ate | you allowed |
| He loved | he ate | he allowed |
| we loved | we ate | we allowed |
| you lovely | you ate | you allowed |
| they loved | they ate | they allowed |
Subjunctive Mode
| 1st conjugation (-ar) – verb to love | 2nd conjugation (-er) – verb to eat | 3rd conjugation (-ir) – verb permit |
|---|---|---|
| if i loved | if i ate | if i allowed |
| if you loved | if you ate | if you allowed |
| if he loved | if he ate | if he allowed |
| if we loved | if we ate | if we allowed |
| if you loved | if you ate | if you allowed |
| if they loved | if they ate | if they allowed |
Past Perfect, Imperfect and More-than-perfect
The three tenses of the past tense are used to indicate actions that occurred in the past.
However, as we saw above, the past tense is used for actions that were not completed in the past and therefore indicate continuity.
In turn, the past tense perfect indicates finished actions that took place in a certain past time.
already the more-than-perfect past tense is a tense little used in colloquial language and indicates an action that occurred before another action in the past.
Both past perfect and more-than-perfect have compound verbal forces.
Read too:
- Verb tenses
- Verbal Modes
- Regular verbs
- Irregular verbs