preguntar imperfect tense conjugation
Preguntar (to ask (a question)) in the imperfect tense: preguntaba, preguntabas, preguntaba, preguntábamos, preguntabais, preguntaban.
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).
Preguntar 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
Preguntar in a sentence
- Pregunto por el camino.I ask for directions.
- Le pregunté su nombre.I asked him/her their name.
Use 'preguntar por' to ask about someone/something; don't confuse with 'pedir'.
FAQ
What is the imperfect tense of preguntar?
Preguntar in the Spanish imperfect tense: yo preguntaba, tú preguntabas, él/ella/usted preguntaba, nosotros preguntábamos, vosotros preguntabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes preguntaban.
Is preguntar irregular in the imperfect tense?
No. In the imperfect tense preguntar takes the regular endings for its verb class, so preguntaba 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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