Only three exceptions
The imperfecto is almost completely regular. Only three verbs form it differently, and all three are very common: ser, ir and ver.
In the indefinido, ser and ir are identical (fui = I was and I went). In the imperfecto they are clearly separate: era and iba.
The forms
ser, ir, ver in the imperfecto
| Person | ser | ir | ver |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | era | iba | veía |
| tú | eras | ibas | veías |
| él / ella / usted | era | iba | veía |
| nosotros / nosotras | éramos | íbamos | veíamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | erais | ibais | veíais |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | eran | iban | veían |
ser: to be · ir: to go · ver: to see
ser and ir share the endings -a, -as, -a, -amos, -ais, -an. ver takes the -ía endings of comer (comía) and carries an accent on the í in every form. For ser and ir, only éramos and íbamos have an accent.
The three verbs in a sentence
ser: to be
Mi casa era pequeña.
My house was small.
De niños éramos muy felices.
As children we were very happy.
ir: to go
Siempre iba al parque.
I always used to go to the park.
Íbamos de vacaciones cada verano.
We used to go on holiday every summer.
ver: to see
veía also covers English could see: no extra verb needed.
Desde mi ventana veía el mar.
From my window I could see the sea.
Veíamos la tele cada noche.
We used to watch TV every evening.
