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Spanish Imperfect Tense Practice

The past tense for habits, descriptions, and background. Drill the -aba and -ía endings and the three irregulars with 25 sentences and instant explanations.

25 exercises~8 min to completeB1 – B2 level
IRead first

The rule, in plain English.

The imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) sets the scene in the past. It describes what used to happen, what was happening, and how things were — habits, ongoing actions, age, time, weather, and feelings.

Its endings are completely regular except for just three verbs, which makes it one of the easiest Spanish tenses to form.

25 exercises below. Read the explanation after each answer — that's where the rule sinks in.

IIQuick reference
Regular endingsonly two patterns
01
-ar verbs (hablar)
hablaba, hablabas, hablaba, hablábamos, hablaban
02
-er / -ir verbs (comer)
comía, comías, comía, comíamos, comían
03
Habits: used to / would
De niño, jugaba en el parque.
04
Background & descriptions
Hacía sol y los pájaros cantaban.
05
Age, time, weather
Eran las tres y llovía.
The only irregularsjust three: ser, ir, ver
01
ser
era, eras, era, éramos, eran
02
ir
iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, iban
03
ver
veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veían
04
Was / were doing
Cuando llamaste, dormía.
05
Pairs with preterite
Leía cuando sonó el teléfono.
IIIPractice exercises

Practice.

Answer first, then read the explanation. Don't skip it — that's the whole point.

Exercise 01 of 25Tag: Regular -ar
Fill in the blank

De niño, yo _____ en el parque todos los días. (jugar)

As a child, I used to play in the park every day.

Exercise 02 of 25Tag: Regular -er
Fill in the blank

Cada verano nosotros _____ a la playa. (ir)

Every summer we used to go to the beach.

Exercise 03 of 25Tag: Irregular: ser
Fill in the blank

Cuando _____ joven, vivía en un pueblo. (ser)

When I was young, I lived in a village.

Exercise 04 of 25Tag: Regular -er
Fill in the blank

Los domingos ella siempre _____ paella. (comer)

On Sundays she always used to eat paella.

Exercise 05 of 25Tag: Weather / scene
Fill in the blank

_____ sol y no había nubes en el cielo. (hacer)

It was sunny and there were no clouds in the sky.

Exercise 06 of 25Tag: Telling time (past)
Fill in the blank

_____ las tres de la tarde cuando llegaron. (ser)

It was three in the afternoon when they arrived.

Exercise 07 of 25Tag: Background + preterite
Fill in the blank

Yo _____ la televisión cuando sonó el teléfono. (ver)

I was watching television when the phone rang.

Exercise 08 of 25Tag: Age in the past
Fill in the blank

Mi hermano _____ diez años cuando nací yo. (tener)

My brother was ten years old when I was born.

Exercise 09 of 25Tag: Regular -ar
Fill in the blank

Antes tú _____ mucho más, ¿no? (viajar)

You used to travel a lot more before, didn't you?

Exercise 10 of 25Tag: Feelings / state
Fill in the blank

No fui a la fiesta porque _____ muy cansado. (estar)

I didn't go to the party because I was very tired.

Exercise 11 of 25Tag: Regular -er
Fill in the blank

Cuando éramos niños, _____ en una casa grande. (vivir)

When we were children, we lived in a big house.

Exercise 12 of 25Tag: Two simultaneous actions
Fill in the blank

Mientras yo cocinaba, mi marido _____ la mesa. (poner)

While I was cooking, my husband was setting the table.

Exercise 13 of 25Tag: Irregular: ir
Fill in the blank

Yo _____ al colegio en autobús. (ir)

I used to go to school by bus.

Exercise 14 of 25Tag: Description (scene)
Fill in the blank

La casa _____ vieja y las paredes

The house was old and the walls were white.

Exercise 15 of 25Tag: Background + preterite
Fill in the blank

Ellos _____ cuando empezó a llover. (pasear)

They were strolling when it started to rain.

Exercise 16 of 25Tag: Regular -ar
Fill in the blank

De pequeños, mis hermanos y yo _____ mucho. (pelear)

As little kids, my siblings and I used to fight a lot.

Exercise 17 of 25Tag: Wishes / mental state
Fill in the blank

Yo _____ ser astronauta cuando era niño. (querer)

I wanted to be an astronaut when I was a boy.

Exercise 18 of 25Tag: Regular -er
Fill in the blank

¿_____ tú mucho café antes de dejarlo? (beber)

Did you used to drink a lot of coffee before quitting?

Exercise 19 of 25Tag: Was going to
Fill in the blank

_____ a llamarte, pero me quedé sin batería. (ir)

I was going to call you, but my battery died.

Exercise 20 of 25Tag: Existence: había
Fill in the blank

_____ mucha gente en la plaza esa noche. (haber)

There were a lot of people in the square that night.

Exercise 21 of 25Tag: Choose the tense
Choose the correct sentence

Pick the correct sentence for a repeated childhood habit.

Which one means 'we used to go every summer'?

Exercise 22 of 25Tag: Spotting errors
Choose the correct sentence

Which imperfect form is wrong?

Spot the wrong imperfect form.

Exercise 23 of 25Tag: Background + preterite
Fill in the blank

Cuando entré, todos _____ y reían. (hablar)

When I came in, everyone was talking and laughing.

Exercise 24 of 25Tag: Regular -ir
Fill in the blank

Mi abuelo nos _____ historias todas las noches. (escribir)

My grandfather used to write us stories every night.

Exercise 25 of 25Tag: Spotting errors
Choose the correct sentence

Which sentence uses the wrong past tense?

Find the sentence with the wrong tense.

Every answer is explained

Not just a green check. A short paragraph telling you why.

No gamification

No streaks, no points, no leaderboards. Just questions.

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More to practice

Other topics.

Coming soon

Also planned in this category.

Not live yet. Working through the catalog one topic at a time.

  • Conditional TenseSoonB125 ex.
  • Present PerfectSoonB120 ex.
  • Present ProgressiveSoonA220 ex.
  • Imperfect SubjunctiveSoonB225 ex.
Questions answered

Common questions.

How do you form the imperfect in Spanish?+

For -ar verbs add -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban. For -er and -ir verbs add -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían. The endings are completely regular apart from three verbs.

Which verbs are irregular in the imperfect?+

Only three: ser (era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran), ir (iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban), and ver (veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían). Every other verb is regular.

When do you use the imperfect?+

Use it for past habits (used to / would), ongoing or background actions (was doing), descriptions, age, time, weather, and feelings. It sets the scene rather than reporting a single finished event.

What's the difference between the imperfect and the preterite?+

The imperfect describes the ongoing background — what was happening or used to happen. The preterite reports a completed event — what happened. In one sentence, the imperfect is the scene and the preterite is the action that breaks it: Leía (imperfect) cuando llamaron (preterite).

What does 'iba a + infinitive' mean?+

Iba a + infinitive means was going to (do something) — an intention in the past, often one that didn't happen: Iba a llamarte (I was going to call you). It mirrors the present voy a + infinitive.

Are these imperfect exercises free?+

Yes. All 25 exercises run in your browser, need no signup, and explain every answer.