Imperfect of -ar Verbs
To say what used to happen or what was going on, add -aba, -abas, -aba, -abamos, -abades, -aban: Falabamos moito (We used to talk a lot).
How It Works
The forms (falar, to speak):
eu falaba · ti falabas · el/ela falaba
nós falabamos · vós falabades · eles/elas falaban
No accent on nós and vós: standard Galician stresses these forms on -ba-: fa-la-ba-mos. They follow the normal accent rules and need no written accent. This differs from Spanish, where the form has an accent.
eu and el look the same: falaba can mean I or he/she was speaking. Add a subject if the context does not make it clear.
When to use it:
• Habits: De pequena, xogaba no parque (As a little girl, I used to play in the park).
• An action in progress when something else happened: Cando cheguei, ela estaba na cociña (When I arrived, she was in the kitchen).
• Descriptions in the past: Levaba unha camisa azul (He was wearing a blue shirt).
Compare: a single finished action uses the preterite: Falei con ela (I spoke with her). See preterite versus imperfect.
Examples (6)
- Falabamos moito.
We used to talk a lot.
Word by Word: Talked-we a lot.
falabamos: stressed on -ba-, with no written accent.
- De pequena, xogaba no parque todas as tardes.
As a little girl, I used to play in the park every afternoon.
Word by Word: Of little, played-I in-the park all the afternoons.
A past habit.
- Cando cheguei, ela estaba na cociña.
When I arrived, she was in the kitchen.
Word by Word: When arrived-I, she was in-the kitchen.
estaba sets the background; cheguei is the event.
- Os meus avós traballaban no campo.
My grandparents worked on the land.
Word by Word: The my grandparents worked in-the countryside.
An ongoing situation in the past.
- Onde pasabades o verán?
Where did you all use to spend the summer?
Word by Word: Where spent-you-all the summer?
pasabades: the vós form, with no accent.
- Levaba unha camisa azul.
He was wearing a blue shirt.
Word by Word: Wore a shirt blue.
A description in the past.
Common Mistakes
Writing an accent on the nós form, as in Spanish.
Cantábamos xuntos.Cantabamos xuntos.In writing, the standard form is stressed on -ba- and has no accent. You may hear cantábamos in speech, but the standard spelling is cantabamos.
Using the Spanish vós ending -abais.
Onde pasabais o verán?Onde pasabades o verán?The Galician vós ending is -abades.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The -ar imperfect presents habits, ongoing action and background in the past.
Related Patterns
- Imperfect of -er and -ir Verbs
The matching endings for the other two verb groups.
Level 2 - Preterite of -ar Verbs
The other past tense of -ar verbs, for single finished actions.
Level 2 - Preterite vs Imperfect
Explains how to choose between falei and falaba.
Level 2 - Imperfect of ser, ter, vir and pórIrregular Imperfects
The only verbs with irregular copretérito forms.
Level 2 - Written Accent Rules
Explains why cantabamos has no written accent.
Level 1 - candoWhen: Cando
Cando clauses often combine the two past tenses.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Imperfect of -ar Verbs in Bubblegum
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