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Esperar imperfect conjugation

Esperar in the imperfect: esperaba, esperabas, esperaba, esperábamos, esperabais, esperaban.

  • to wait; to hope; to expect
  • regular
  • Participle: esperado
  • Gerund: esperando

Imperfect imperfecto

yoesperaba
túesperabas
él/ella/ustedesperaba
nosotrosesperábamos
vosotrosesperabais
ellos/ellas/ustedesesperaban

How to use esperar in the imperfect

The imperfect of esperar is regular: esperaba, esperabas, esperaba, esperábamos, esperaban. It is the natural tense for "expected": "No esperaba esto" (I didn't expect this). It also describes waiting as background: "Esperaba el autobús cuando empezó a llover." "Te esperábamos" means "we were expecting you." In stories, it sets up a surprise: "Esperaba lo peor, pero todo salió bien."

Examples

  • No esperaba verte aquí.

    I didn't expect to see you here.

  • Te esperábamos más temprano.

    We were expecting you earlier.

  • Esperaba el autobús cuando me llamó mi jefa.

    I was waiting for the bus when my boss called me.

Quick check: esperar in the imperfect

1. él/ella/usted · Imperfect of esperar
2. vosotros · Imperfect of esperar
3. ellos/ellas/ustedes · Imperfect of esperar
4. tú · Imperfect of esperar
5. nosotros · Imperfect of esperar

More esperar tenses

Other verbs in the imperfect

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