imperfecto

Imperfecto is a term used in Romance languages to describe the imperfective past tense or aspect. In Spanish grammar, it is known as el pretérito imperfecto de indicativo and is used to describe actions that were ongoing, repeated, or not finished in the past, as well as background conditions, descriptions, and states such as age, weather, or mental or physical conditions.

In Spanish, it is formed by adding specific endings to the verb stem. For regular -ar verbs: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban. For regular -er and -ir verbs: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían. Some verbs are irregular in the imperfect, notably ser (era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran), ir (iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban), and ver (veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían). The imperfect is used to describe habitual past actions, background scenes, ages, times, weather, and states.

Usage examples: "Cuando era niño, jugaba en el parque." "Siempre me hablaba con paciencia." "Eran las ocho cuando empezó la película." The imperfect contrasts with the preterite, which marks actions viewed as completed: "Ayer comí una manzana" versus "Comía una manzana todos los días." It can also set the scene for a narrative or express ongoing mental or emotional states.

In other Romance languages, similar forms exist: Italian imperfetto, Portuguese pretérito imperfeito, French imparfait. Across these languages, the imperfective past tense generally describes non-completed past actions, habitual situations, descriptions, or background circumstances rather than single completed events.