explicar imperfect tense conjugation
Explicar (to explain) in the imperfect tense: explicaba, explicabas, explicaba, explicábamos, explicabais, explicaban.
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).
Explicar 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
Explicar in a sentence
- Explico la gramática a mis alumnos.I explain grammar to my students.
- El profesor explicó el tema ayer.The teacher explained the topic yesterday.
Spelling change c→qu before e: preterite yo form 'expliqué'.
FAQ
What is the imperfect tense of explicar?
Explicar in the Spanish imperfect tense: yo explicaba, tú explicabas, él/ella/usted explicaba, nosotros explicábamos, vosotros explicabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes explicaban.
Is explicar irregular in the imperfect tense?
No. In the imperfect tense explicar takes the regular endings for its verb class, so explicaba 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 explicar conjugation, all tenses →
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