dar imperfect tense conjugation
Dar (to give) in the imperfect tense: daba, dabas, daba, dábamos, dabais, daban.
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).
Dar 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
Dar in a sentence
- Le doy un regalo a mi madre.I give a gift to my mother.
- Ellos me dieron las gracias.They thanked me.
Irregular yo form 'doy'; irregular preterite 'di, diste, dio...'; often used with indirect objects.
FAQ
What is the imperfect tense of dar?
Dar in the Spanish imperfect tense: yo daba, tú dabas, él/ella/usted daba, nosotros dábamos, vosotros dabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes daban.
Is dar irregular in the imperfect tense?
No. In the imperfect tense dar takes the regular endings for its verb class, so daba 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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