cambiar imperfect tense conjugation
Cambiar (to change) in the imperfect tense: cambiaba, cambiabas, cambiaba, cambiábamos, cambiabais, cambiaban.
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).
Cambiar 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
Cambiar in a sentence
- Cambio de opinión a menudo.I change my mind often.
- El clima cambió rápidamente.The weather changed quickly.
Regular -ar verb; can be reflexive 'cambiarse' meaning to change clothes.
FAQ
What is the imperfect tense of cambiar?
Cambiar in the Spanish imperfect tense: yo cambiaba, tú cambiabas, él/ella/usted cambiaba, nosotros cambiábamos, vosotros cambiabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes cambiaban.
Is cambiar irregular in the imperfect tense?
No. In the imperfect tense cambiar takes the regular endings for its verb class, so cambiaba 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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