Spanish grammar - El imperfecto for ser and estar |
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The el imperfecto conjugations for the two 'to be' verbs ser (permanent) and estar (temporary) are as follows: • yo: ser ⇒ era & estar ⇒ estaba • tú: eras & estabas • él, ella, usted: era & estaba • nosotros, nosotras: éramos & estábamos • vosotros, vosotras: erais & estabais • ellos, ellas, ustedes: eran & estaban Note that it is only estar that is used with past participles. |
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Yo era muy tímido cuando era niño.
I was very shy when I was a child.
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Tú estabas cansado después de trabajar todo el día.
You (informal) were tired after working all day.
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Él era el mejor jugador del equipo.
He was the best player on the team.
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Nosotros estábamos en la playa cuando comenzó a llover.
We were at the beach when it started to rain.
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Ellas eran muy amigas en la escuela.
They (feminine) were very good friends in school.
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Usted estaba en la oficina mientras yo trabajaba en casa.
You (formal) were at the office while I was working at home.
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Nosotros éramos los primeros en llegar.
We were the first to arrive.
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Vosotros estabais viendo la televisión cuando sonó el teléfono.
You all (informal) were watching TV when the phone rang.
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Ella era una excelente cantante.
She was an excellent singer.
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Nosotros estábamos contentos de verte.
We were happy to see you.
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Ella estaba enferma y no podía venir.
She was sick and couldn't come.
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Vosotras erais las favoritas del profesor.
You all (informal, feminine) were the teacher's favorites.
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Ellos eran los más altos de la clase.
They were the tallest in the class.
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Tú estabas en el parque cuando te vi.
You (informal) were in the park when I saw you.
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De niño yo estaba enfermo a menudo.
As a child I was often sick.
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Cuando estábamos en Suiza, esquiábamos a menudo.
When we were in Switzerland, we often skied.
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Tú no estabas listo para salir antes de que él lo estuviera.
You weren't ready to leave before he was.
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Su respuesta era desalentadora.
Their response was discouraging.
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Sé que tú estabas en Salamanca el verano pasado.
(I) know you were in Salamanca last summer.
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Las ventanas ya estaban abiertas cuando llegamos.
The windows were already open when we arrived.
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Él era un estudiante cuando se casó.
He was a student when he got married.
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Era el mejor día de mi vida.
It was the best day of my life.
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Ellos eran los mejores amigos durante su tiempo en el ejército.
They were best friends during their time in the military.
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No sé quién era pero no era yo.
(I) don't know who it was but it wasn't me.
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