Level 2 — Elementary (CEFR: A2)
Unit 6 — Verb Group 2: -ER Verbs
Lesson 8 — Imperfect of -ER Verbs
Lesson Overview
Level: 2 — Elementary Unit: 6 — Verb Group 2: -ER Verbs Lesson: 8 of 13 Estimated Time: 60–75 minutes
What this lesson covers:
- The imperfect endings for -ER and -IR verbs (they share the same endings)
- Three irregulars in the entire Spanish imperfect: ser, ir, ver
- All -ER verbs in the imperfect with ministry sentences
- Using the imperfect to describe spiritual states, background context, and habitual ministry practice
-ER Imperfect Endings
Remove the -er ending, then add:
| Pronoun | Ending | creer |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -ía | creía |
| tú | -ías | creías |
| él / ella / usted | -ía | creía |
| nosotros | -íamos | creíamos |
| vosotros | -íais | creíais |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | -ían | creían |
Latin American five-form paradigm: creía — creías — creía — creíamos — creían
Critical: All -ER and -IR verbs share these same imperfect endings. Learning them once covers two verb groups.
Accent marks: Every -ER/-IR imperfect form carries a written accent on the í: creía, creías, creíamos, creían. This distinguishes the imperfect from other forms and must be consistently produced in writing and stressed in speech.
No stem changes: Like -AR imperfects, -ER stem-changing verbs revert to the original stem: poder → podía (not puedía) querer → quería (not quiería) entender → entendía (not entendía… wait — this IS the regular stem. entender imperfect is entendía — no change because the stem vowel e does not change in the imperfect.)
The Three Irregular Imperfects in All of Spanish
The imperfect is the most regular tense in Spanish. There are only three verbs with irregular imperfect forms — all three are -ER group or formerly classed with it:
ser (to be)
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | era |
| tú | eras |
| él/ella/usted | era |
| nosotros | éramos |
| ellos/ustedes | eran |
Era joven cuando Dios me llamó. — I was young when God called me. La iglesia era pequeña pero el Espíritu era poderoso. — The church was small but the Spirit was powerful. Éramos un equipo de doce cuando llegamos. — We were a team of twelve when we arrived.
ir (to go)
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | iba |
| tú | ibas |
| él/ella/usted | iba |
| nosotros | íbamos |
| ellos/ustedes | iban |
Iba a la iglesia cada domingo de niño. — I used to go to church every Sunday as a child. Los misioneros iban de pueblo en pueblo predicando. — The missionaries used to go from village to village preaching. Íbamos a esa comunidad cada mes. — We used to go to that community every month.
ver (to see)
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | veía |
| tú | veías |
| él/ella/usted | veía |
| nosotros | veíamos |
| ellos/ustedes | veían |
Veía a Dios obrar en cada aspecto de mi vida. — I used to see God working in every aspect of my life. No veíamos ninguna puerta abierta al principio. — We didn’t see any open door at first. Todos veían que era la mano de Dios. — Everyone could see that it was the hand of God.
Note: ver is technically not irregular in a major way — it uses the regular -ía endings. The “irregularity” is that ve- retains the stem rather than being shortened, which gives forms like veía instead of the expected vía. This is minor but worth noting.
Core -ER Verbs in the Imperfect: Ministry Sentences
creer: Antes no creía en la resurrección. — Before, I didn’t believe in the resurrection. Creíamos en Dios pero no le seguíamos. — We believed in God but didn’t follow him. La comunidad creía en muchas tradiciones, pero no en el evangelio. — The community believed in many traditions, but not in the gospel.
leer: De joven, leía la Biblia por obligación, no por amor. — As a young person, I read the Bible out of obligation, not love. Los primeros discípulos leían las Escrituras Hebreas y veían a Cristo en ellas. — The first disciples read the Hebrew Scriptures and saw Christ in them.
comprender: No comprendía el significado del sacrificio de Cristo. — I didn’t understand the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice. La congregación comprendía poco del griego y el hebreo. — The congregation understood little of Greek and Hebrew.
poder: No podía imaginar que Dios me usaría de esta manera. — I couldn’t imagine that God would use me in this way. Antes, no podíamos hablar abiertamente del evangelio en ese lugar. — Before, we couldn’t speak openly about the gospel in that place.
querer: Siempre quería servir a Dios, pero no sabía cómo. — I always wanted to serve God, but didn’t know how. Los líderes querían entender más sobre la gracia. — The leaders wanted to understand more about grace.
tener: Tenía miedo de compartir mi fe antes. — I used to be afraid to share my faith. La iglesia tenía muchas necesidades en esos años. — The church had many needs in those years.
hacer: Hacíamos reuniones de oración cada semana. — We used to have prayer meetings every week. ¿Qué hacías para el Señor antes de venir a las misiones? — What were you doing for the Lord before coming to missions?
saber: No sabía hablar español cuando llegué por primera vez. — I didn’t know how to speak Spanish when I arrived the first time. Sabíamos que Dios tenía un plan, aunque no veíamos cómo. — We knew that God had a plan, even though we couldn’t see how.
Testimonies: Ser and Ir Imperfect in the “Before” Section
The imperfect of ser and ir are especially common in the “before Christ” section of testimonies:
Era un hombre perdido antes de conocer a Dios. — I was a lost man before knowing God. Iba de fiesta en fiesta buscando significado. — I used to go from party to party looking for meaning. Era religioso pero no tenía una relación con Dios. — I was religious but didn’t have a relationship with God. Iba a la iglesia pero no entendía el evangelio. — I used to go to church but didn’t understand the gospel.
These sentence patterns — era [identity/state] + [contrast] and iba a [place] + [purpose] — recur in almost every Spanish-language testimony.
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1 — Imperfect Conjugation
Conjugate each verb in all 5 Latin American imperfect forms:
creer — poder — querer — hacer — tener — ver
Then produce the three irregular imperfects: ser, ir, ver.
Exercise 2 — Before/After Contrast
For each pair, produce a “before” sentence (imperfect) and an “after” sentence (preterite):
- Not believing in Christ → then came to believe
- Not being able to speak Spanish → then learned
- Going to church without understanding → then understood
- Wanting to serve but not knowing how → then found the way
Exercise 3 — Testimony “Before” Section
Produce a 60-second spoken “before Christ” section of a testimony using the imperfect. Use at least 5 different -ER verbs in the imperfect, including ser and ir. Deliver orally — no notes.
Exercise 4 — Recognition: Background + Event
Listen to these sentences and identify whether the -ER verb is imperfect (background/habit) or preterite (event):
- Leía la Biblia cuando el Señor habló a mi corazón.
- Creyó en Cristo en aquella reunión.
- No podíamos entrar al pueblo.
- De repente, pudo hablar libremente de su fe.
- Hacía discipulado con tres personas cada semana.
Answers: 1. imperfect (background) 2. preterite (event) 3. imperfect (ongoing condition) 4. preterite (change of state) 5. imperfect (habit)
Key Takeaways for This Lesson
Before moving to Lesson 9:
- Know the -ER/-IR imperfect endings: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -ían (all carry accent on í)
- Know the three irregular imperfects in all of Spanish: ser (era), ir (iba), ver (veía)
- Know that no -ER stem-changing verb changes in the imperfect
- Know the “before Christ” testimony patterns with era and iba
- Complete the testimony “before” section oral exercise
Daily Practice
Add the three irregular imperfects to a daily 30-second chant:
era / eras / era / éramos / eran iba / ibas / iba / íbamos / iban veía / veías / veía / veíamos / veían
These three paradigms cover 100% of Spanish imperfect irregulars. Mastering them completes the imperfect tense entirely for all verb groups.