Learn how to conjugate and use the irregular Spanish verbs 'ser', 'ir', and 'ver' in the imperfect past tense. This lesson covers their unique forms and provides practical examples related to emergency services, helping learners understand habitual and ongoing past actions. Mastering these verbs enhances your ability to describe past events clearly and naturally in Spanish.
- Ser changes to era, eras, éramos...
- Ir becomes iba, ibas, íbamos...
- Ver retains the root "v" with an extra e: veía.
| Persona (Person) | Conjugación (Conjugation) | Ejemplos (Examples) |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | era, iba, veía | Yo era voluntario en la Cruz Roja. Yo iba al hospital cada semana. Yo veía ambulancias pasar por mi calle. |
| Tú | eras, ibas, veías | Tú eras parte del equipo de emergencia. Tú ibas al centro médico en bici. Tú veías las instrucciones en la pared. |
Él Ella | era, iba, veía | Ella era paramédica en la ambulancia. Él iba a emergencias con su equipo. Ella veía pacientes graves a diario. |
Nosotros Nosotras | éramos, íbamos, veíamos | Nosotros éramos responsables del teléfono de emergencia. Nosotros íbamos al hospital cada mañana. Nosotras veíamos muchas situaciones reales. |
Vosotros Vosotras | erais, ibais, veíais | Vosotros erais los encargados de socorro. Vosotras ibais con la Cruz Roja. Vosotros veíais vídeos del accidente. |
Ellos Ellas | eran, iban, veían | Ellos eran voluntarios muy buenos. Ellos iban a la sala de urgencias. Ellos veían muchos casos complicados. |
Exercise 1: El pretérito imperfecto de verbos irregulares
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
veías, veíamos, iban, íbamos, eran, era
1.
Ser:
Los paramédicos ... rápidos y eficaces.
(The paramedics were quick and efficient.)
2.
Ir:
Nosotros ... a la Cruz Roja cada semana.
(We used to go to the Red Cross every week.)
3.
Ser:
Yo ... parte del equipo de socorro.
(I was part of the relief team.)
4.
Ser:
Ella ... voluntaria en emergencias.
(She was a volunteer in emergencies.)
5.
Ver:
Nosotros ... muchos casos cada día.
(We used to see many cases every day.)
6.
Ver:
¿Tú ... las instrucciones en la sala?
(Did you use to see the instructions in the room?)
7.
Ser:
El médico ... muy amable con los pacientes.
(The doctor was very kind to the patients.)
8.
Ir:
Ellos ... al centro médico cada mañana.
(They used to go to the medical centre every morning.)
Exercise 2: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Select the correct sentence in the imperfect past tense for each situation related to emergency services.
1.
'You helped' is in the past simple, not in the imperfect past; it is not the requested tense.
'You (plural) helped' is second person plural, but the subject is 'I', so it does not agree.
2.
'Went' is first or third person singular, it does not agree with 'we'.
'Went' is second person singular, it does not agree with 'we'.
3.
'Were working' is third person plural, it does not agree with the implicit 'you' in the question.
'Were working' is second person plural, it does not agree with the implicit subject 'you' in the question.
4.
'You were' is second person singular, it does not agree with 'they'.
'We were' is first person plural, it does not agree with the subject 'they'.
