Which is the correct imperfect tense form for 'he used to live'?

Which is the correct imperfect tense form for 'he used to live'?

• A. Ella vivía
• B. Tú vivías
• C. Yo vivía
• D. Él vivía

Answer: (D)

In the imperfect tense, actions that were habitual or ongoing in the past use endings like -ía for -er verbs. For vivir, the stem is viv- and the endings are: yo vivía, tú vivías, él/ella/usted vivía, nosotros vivíamos, vosotros vivíais, ellos vivían. For the subject “he,” the form is Él vivía. The form vivía is identical for he and for she (Ella vivía), but the subject here is male, so the correct expression is Él vivía. The other forms shown would match different subjects (she, you informal, I) rather than he.

In the imperfect tense, actions that were habitual or ongoing in the past use endings like -ía for -er verbs. For vivir, the stem is viv- and the endings are: yo vivía, tú vivías, él/ella/usted vivía, nosotros vivíamos, vosotros vivíais, ellos vivían. For the subject “he,” the form is Él vivía. The form vivía is identical for he and for she (Ella vivía), but the subject here is male, so the correct expression is Él vivía. The other forms shown would match different subjects (she, you informal, I) rather than he.