Past in spanish: Ser, ir and ver en imperfecto

Overview

The forms are era, iba, and veía. They are short, common, and useful for real past descriptions.

• Cuando era niño, iba al parque. → When I was a child, I used to go to the park.
• Desde la ventana, veía el río. → From the window, I could see the river.

Cómo/cuándo lo usamos

Ser for descriptions

Use ser in the imperfect for identity and descriptions in the past.

• Mi escuela era pequeña. → My school was small.
• Ellos eran vecinos. → They were neighbors.

Ir and ver for repeated scenes

Use ir for repeated movement and ver for what someone saw or watched.

• Íbamos al cine los viernes. → We used to go to the movies on Fridays.
• Veíamos las noticias por la noche. → We used to watch the news at night.

Estructura

Oraciones.

Afirmativas

• Yo trabajaba en el centro. → I used to work downtown.
• Tú comías con tu familia. → You used to eat with your family.
• Ella vivía cerca. → She used to live nearby.
• Nosotros íbamos al parque. → We used to go to the park.

Negativas

• Yo no salía mucho. → I did not use to go out much.
• Él no tenía coche. → He did not have a car.
• Nosotras no veíamos televisión. → We did not use to watch TV.
• Ellos no eran vecinos. → They were not neighbors.

Forma de pregunta

• ¿Trabajabas los sábados? → Did you use to work on Saturdays?
• ¿Ella vivía aquí? → Did she use to live here?
• ¿Íbamos juntos? → Did we use to go together?
• ¿Ustedes veían esa serie? → Did you all use to watch that series?

Ejercicios

Wrap Up