buscar imperfect tense conjugation
Buscar (to look for) in the imperfect tense: buscaba, buscabas, buscaba, buscábamos, buscabais, buscaban.
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).
Buscar 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
Buscar in a sentence
- Busco mis llaves.I'm looking for my keys.
- Busqué en toda la casa.I looked all over the house.
No preposition before the object; spelling change c→qu before e (busqué).
FAQ
What is the imperfect tense of buscar?
Buscar in the Spanish imperfect tense: yo buscaba, tú buscabas, él/ella/usted buscaba, nosotros buscábamos, vosotros buscabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes buscaban.
Is buscar irregular in the imperfect tense?
No. In the imperfect tense buscar takes the regular endings for its verb class, so buscaba 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).
Full buscar conjugation, all tenses →
Drill it with flashcards →