Imperfect for Description

Level 3

The imperfect paints the scene: time, weather, people and things.

How It Works

When you tell a story, the imperfect gives the picture and other tenses give the events. Here is a short scene:

Èra tard. Fasiá fred. Lo cèl èra blau. Maria portava un vestit roge.

No event happens in these four sentences. They say what the evening was like.

  • The time and weather: Èra tard. Fasiá fred.
  • How things looked: Èra un ostal pichòt e blanc.
  • What someone wore or felt: Maria portava un vestit roge.
  • What was going on: Los dròlles dormissián.

The imperfect of èsser, aver and far does most of the work in a description.

Examples (5)

  1. Èra un ostal pichòt e blanc.

    It was a small white house.

    Èra describes the house.

  2. Fasiá fred.

    It was cold.

    Fasiá gives the weather.

  3. Maria portava un vestit roge.

    Maria was wearing a red dress.

    Portava describes what Maria had on.

  4. Èra tard e los dròlles dormissián.

    It was late and the children were sleeping.

    Both verbs set the scene.

  5. Lo cèl èra blau e fasiá caud.

    The sky was blue and it was warm.

    Èra and fasiá describe the day.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the present for a scene in the past.

    Ièr fa fred.
    Ièr fasiá fred.

    Ièr points to the past, so the weather takes the imperfect.

  • Dropping the acute accent of the imperfect.

    Fasia fred.
    Fasiá fred.

    The he or she imperfect of verbs such as far ends in -iá, so write fasiá, not fasia.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Imperfect for DescriptionLevel 3

Learn This First

The imperfect for description needs the imperfect forms, so the imperfect of -ar verbs and èsser come first.