cumplir imperfect tense conjugation
Cumplir (to fulfill/turn (age)) in the imperfect tense: cumplía, cumplías, cumplía, cumplíamos, cumplíais, cumplían.
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).
Cumplir 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
Cumplir in a sentence
- Cumplo mis promesas.I keep my promises.
- Ella cumplió veinte años ayer.She turned twenty yesterday.
With 'años' means 'to turn (an age)'; also 'to fulfill/comply with'.
FAQ
What is the imperfect tense of cumplir?
Cumplir in the Spanish imperfect tense: yo cumplía, tú cumplías, él/ella/usted cumplía, nosotros cumplíamos, vosotros cumplíais, ellos/ellas/ustedes cumplían.
Is cumplir irregular in the imperfect tense?
No. In the imperfect tense cumplir takes the regular endings for its verb class, so cumplía 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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