Spanish Grammar Test: Past Imperfect Tense
Uses of the Imperfect Tense
Useful Grammar
We learned previously that the past imperfect tense is used to describe a repeated or habitual past action, and is equivalent in this usage to the English used to.
Uses of the imperfect: Part 2
This tense also has another use in Spanish. It is used to describe a continuing past action, particularly an action which was continuing when something else happened. In this usage, it has the same meaning as the Past Continuous Tense in English.
* The progressive form of hablar (estaban hablando) is more common in such sentences but the use of the past imperfect tense is also correct.
Useful Grammar
Note that various verbs such as creer, saber, pensar, tener, poder, deber, sentirse are generally used in the past imperfect tense in Spanish rather than in the simple past tense as is done in English. The implication in Spanish is that these verbs, in most situations, suggest a state of mind or condition which prevailed for some time rather than something that took place only at a specified moment.
