Estar (to be) · Imperfect
By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated
Estar in the Spanish imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) is: yo estaba, tú estabas, él/ella/usted estaba, nosotros/as estábamos, vosotros/as estabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes estaban. The imperfect of estar describes ongoing past states or background conditions — how things were at a stretch of time in the past, without a clear endpoint. Estar is regular in the imperfect, using standard -ar verb endings.
| To Be | Estar |
|---|---|
| I used to be | yo estaba |
| you used to be | tú estabas |
| he/she used to be | él/ella/usted estaba |
| we used to be | nosotros/as estábamos |
| you used to be | vosotros/as estabais |
| they used to be | ellos/ellas/ustedes estaban |
Estar (to be) in context
Sentences that use estar in the imperfect. Tap each to hear it.
I was sleeping when you called me.
You were very worried about the exam.
The sky was grey that morning.
We were all together at the beach.
You were very quiet in class.
My parents were proud of me.
Working with the imperfect
The imperfect paints the background of a past scene: weather, age, habits, descriptions, ongoing actions that get interrupted. "Era de noche" (it was nighttime), "tenía cinco años" (I was five years old), "iba al parque cuando me llamaste" (I was going to the park when you called me). Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect — ser (era), ir (iba), and ver (veía). Every other Spanish verb is regular here, which makes the imperfect one of the easiest tenses to learn.
Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate estar in the imperfect?
When should I use 'estaba' rather than 'estuve'?
Why does 'estaba' work for both 'I was' and 'he was'?
Practice Estar (To Be) in real conversations
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