Estar imperfect conjugation
Estar in the imperfect: estaba, estabas, estaba, estábamos, estabais, estaban.
- to be (location, condition, ongoing actions)
- irregular
- Participle: estado
- Gerund: estando
Imperfect imperfecto
| yo | estaba |
|---|---|
| tú | estabas |
| él/ella/usted | estaba |
| nosotros | estábamos |
| vosotros | estabais |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | estaban |
How to use estar in the imperfect
The imperfect of estar is regular: estaba, estabas, estaba, estábamos, estaban. Use it to describe where someone was or how they felt as background, and for past progressive actions: "Estaba hablando por teléfono cuando llegaste." It sets the scene, while the preterite moves the story forward. This is one of the most frequent imperfect forms in conversation.
Examples
Estaba en el tráfico cuando me llamó el jefe.
I was stuck in traffic when my boss called me.
Los clientes estaban muy contentos con el servicio.
The clients were very happy with the service.
¿Qué estabas haciendo a esa hora?
What were you doing at that time?
Quick check: estar in the imperfect
More estar tenses
- All estar tenses
- Estar present
- Estar preterite
- Estar future
- Estar conditional
- Estar present subjunctive
- Estar affirmative commands
Other verbs in the imperfect
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