Ser imperfect conjugation
Ser in the imperfect: era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran.
- to be (identity, origin, time, characteristics)
- irregular
- Participle: sido
- Gerund: siendo
Imperfect imperfecto
| yo | era |
|---|---|
| tú | eras |
| él/ella/usted | era |
| nosotros | éramos |
| vosotros | erais |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | eran |
How to use ser in the imperfect
Ser has an irregular imperfect: era, eras, era, éramos, eran. Use it to describe what people and things were like in the past, to give background, and to tell the time in a past story ("Eran las ocho cuando sonó el teléfono"). It answers "what was it like?" while the preterite answers "how did it turn out?" Learners use era a lot when talking about childhood or former jobs.
Examples
Mi primer jefe era muy exigente, pero justo.
My first boss was very demanding but fair.
Eran las once cuando terminó la reunión.
It was eleven when the meeting ended.
Antes la oficina era mucho más pequeña.
The office used to be much smaller.
Quick check: ser in the imperfect
More ser tenses
- All ser tenses
- Ser present
- Ser preterite
- Ser future
- Ser conditional
- Ser present subjunctive
- Ser affirmative commands
Other verbs in the imperfect
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