Imperfect of -ar Verbs

Level 3

Remove -ar and add -avi, -avas, -ava, -àvem, -àvetz, -avan.

How It Works

parlarmanjar
ieuparlavimanjavi
tuparlavasmanjavas
el, elaparlavamanjava
nosautresparlàvemmanjàvem
vosautresparlàvetzmanjàvetz
eles, elasparlavanmanjavan

The stem vowel does not open in the imperfect, even when the present opens it: cròmpi but crompavi, lèvi but levavi, demòri but demoravi.

The spelling of the consonant is the one that keeps the sound before a: manjavi (with j) and començavi (with ç).

The imperfect tells what used to happen or what was going on: Parlavi amb Maria cada jorn.

Examples (5)

  1. Parlavi amb Maria cada jorn.

    I spoke with Maria every day.

    Parlavi is the ieu form.

  2. Cantavan plan.

    They sang well.

    Cantavan is the eles form.

  3. Manjàvem fòrça pan.

    We used to eat a lot of bread.

    Manjàvem carries an accent on à.

  4. Joan demorava a Albi.

    Joan lived in Albi.

    Demorava keeps the closed vowel o.

  5. Crompavas lo pan cada matin.

    You bought the bread every morning.

    Crompavas is the tu form.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the he or she ending for ieu.

    Parlava amb Maria cada jorn.
    Parlavi amb Maria cada jorn.

    Parlava means he or she spoke. For I, the ending is -avi.

  • Dropping the accent of the nosautres form.

    Parlavem amb Maria.
    Parlàvem amb Maria.

    The nosautres and vosautres forms carry the accent: -àvem, -àvetz.

How It Connects

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

Imperfect of -ar VerbsLevel 3

Learn This First

The imperfect of -ar verbs uses the -ar stem and the idea of the imperfect, so the -ar present and the first imperfect come first.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.