acabar imperfect tense conjugation
Acabar (to finish, end up) in the imperfect tense: acababa, acababas, acababa, acabábamos, acababais, acababan.
Pretérito imperfecto Imperfect
| yo | |
|---|---|
| tú | |
| él/ella/usted | |
| nosotros | |
| vosotros | |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
ending regular · irr breaks the pattern · tap a form to hear it
When to use the imperfect tense
The imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) describes the past as background: habits (“used to”), ongoing actions (“was doing”), descriptions, age and time. “Cuando era niño, vivía en Sevilla.”
How it is formed
Regular endings: -ar → aba, abas, aba, ábamos, abais, aban; -er/-ir → ía, ías, ía, íamos, íais, ían. Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect: ser (era), ir (iba) and ver (veía).
Acabar is regular here, so it is a good model for other verbs of the same class.
Read more: Preterite vs imperfect: when to use each
Acabar in a sentence
- Acabo de llegar a casa.I just arrived home.
- Acabaron peleándose por dinero.They ended up fighting over money.
Regular -ar verb; 'acabar de' + infinitive means 'to have just done something'.
FAQ
What is the imperfect tense of acabar?
Acabar in the Spanish imperfect tense: yo acababa, tú acababas, él/ella/usted acababa, nosotros acabábamos, vosotros acababais, ellos/ellas/ustedes acababan.
Is acabar irregular in the imperfect tense?
No. In the imperfect tense acabar takes the regular endings for its verb class, so acababa follows the same pattern as any regular verb.
When do you use the Spanish imperfect tense?
The imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) describes the past as background: habits (“used to”), ongoing actions (“was doing”), descriptions, age and time. “Cuando era niño, vivía en Sevilla.”
How is the imperfect tense formed?
Regular endings: -ar → aba, abas, aba, ábamos, abais, aban; -er/-ir → ía, ías, ía, íamos, íais, ían. Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect: ser (era), ir (iba) and ver (veía).
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