Past imperfect
Full forms, background description, habits, simultaneous actions, and completed-past contrast.
The imperfect opens a window onto an ongoing past scene
Use the imperfect for background description, repeated habits, age/time/weather, states, and actions already in progress. It does not present the action’s endpoint. Use the completed past when the event advances the story as a bounded whole.
Regular imperfect indicative
| Person | -ar: parlar | -er/-re: perdre | -ir: dormir |
|---|---|---|---|
| jo | parlava | perdia | dormia |
| tu | parlaves | perdies | dormies |
| ell/ella | parlava | perdia | dormia |
| nosaltres | parlàvem | perdíem | dormíem |
| vosaltres | parlàveu | perdíeu | dormíeu |
| ells/elles | parlaven | perdien | dormien |
Three essential irregulars
| Person | ser | fer | veure |
|---|---|---|---|
| jo | era | feia | veia |
| tu | eres | feies | veies |
| ell/ella | era | feia | veia |
| nosaltres | érem | fèiem | vèiem |
| vosaltres | éreu | fèieu | vèieu |
| ells/elles | eren | feien | veien |
Four main uses
- Description/background: Feia sol i els carrers eren plens.
- Habit: De petit anava a l’escola a peu.
- Simultaneous/ongoing action: Mentre cuinava, escoltava la ràdio.
- Polite or tentative framing: Volia demanar-te un favor softens the request.
Imperfect versus completed past
Compare Plovia quan vaig sortir: rain was the background; leaving is the bounded event. Va ploure tota la nit views the night’s rain as a complete episode. Some state verbs can use either tense with a perspective shift: Ho sabia “I knew it” as a state; Ho vaig saber ahir “I found out yesterday”.
Examples in context
Quan era petit, vivia prop del parc.
When I was little, I lived near the park.
Abans treballàvem des de casa dos dies per setmana.
We used to work from home two days a week.
Feia sol, però bufava un vent molt fred.
It was sunny, but a very cold wind was blowing.
Mentre jo preparava el sopar, ella parava taula.
While I prepared dinner, she set the table.
Dormia quan em vas trucar.
I was sleeping when you called me.
La casa tenia tres habitacions i donava al mar.
The house had three bedrooms and faced the sea.
Volia saber si encara teníeu taula per a quatre.
I wanted to know whether you still had a table for four.
No el coneixia fins que vam treballar junts.
I didn’t know him until we worked together.
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