Conjugate ser in El Pretérito Imperfecto (imperfect tense)

Ana Matilla
2019-07-01
Add to Notebook9 questions

The verb ser (to be) is irregular in El Pretérito Imperfecto (the imperfect past):

yo

era

tú

eras

él / ella / Ud.

era

nosotros / nosotras

éramos

vosotros / vosotras 

erais

ellos / ellas / Uds.  

eran
NB: Don't forget the accent on éramos!

Don't confuse ser and estar in this tense! Ser is so irregular you might think it looks a bit like estar but estar is regular in the imperfect tense.

Here are some examples to listen to:

Yo era el más pequeño de la familia.I was the smallest in the family.

Tú eras muy bueno.You were very good.

Ella era modelo.She used to be a model.

Nosotros éramos los mejores del campeonato.We used to be the best in the championship.

Vosotros erais ricos.You used to be rich.

Ellos eran rápidos.They were fast.

 

Want to make sure your Spanish sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Braimap today »

Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics

Examples and resources

Ellos eran rápidos.They were fast.
Tú eras muy bueno.You were very good.
Nosotros éramos los mejores del campeonato.We used to be the best in the championship.
Yo era el más pequeño de la familia.I was the smallest in the family.
Vosotros erais ricos.You used to be rich.
Ella era modelo.She used to be a model.
Clever stuff underway!