Preterite vs. Imperfect with Irregulars
Master the three irregular imperfects (ir, ser, ver) and the meaning shifts between preterite and imperfect.
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Questions Covered in This Set
10 cards to master
Which three verbs are irregular in the imperfect?
ir (iba), ser (era), ver (veía) — the only three in the language.
Conjugate ir in the imperfect (all forms)
iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban
Conjugate ser in the imperfect (all forms)
era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran
Why is ver's imperfect veía and not 'vía'?
It keeps the 'e' of the infinitive stem: ve- + -ía → veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían.
Which imperfect forms carry a written accent on nosotros?
Only íbamos (ir) and éramos (ser).
Photograph vs. film: which tense is which?
Preterite = photograph (completed, bounded event); imperfect = film reel (ongoing states, habits, descriptions, background).
How do you tell clock time in the past?
Always imperfect: era la una, eran las tres — never 'fue la una'.
saber: sabía vs. supe
sabía = knew (state); supe = found out / learned (moment).
conocer and querer meaning shifts
conocía = knew/was acquainted; conocí = met for the first time. quería = wanted; quise = tried; no quise = refused.
poder, tener, haber meaning shifts
podía = was able; pude = managed to, no pude = failed to. tenía = had; tuve = got/received. había = there was/were; hubo = there occurred.
