Which verbs are irregular in the imperfect?

Which verbs are irregular in the imperfect?

• A. ser, ir, ver
• B. dar, estar, ir
• C. ser, estar, ver
• D. ver, dar, estar

Answer: (A)

In the imperfect, most verbs follow regular endings: -ar verbs take -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban, and -er/-ir verbs take -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían. But there are three verbs that don’t follow these patterns and are irregular in the imperfect: ser, ir, and ver. Their forms are unique: ser becomes era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran; ir becomes iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban; ver becomes veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían. These irregular forms differ from the regular endings, which is why these three are singled out as irregular in this tense. The other options include verbs that mostly use the standard imperfect endings, so they don’t form a complete irregular set like the trio above.

In the imperfect, most verbs follow regular endings: -ar verbs take -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban, and -er/-ir verbs take -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían. But there are three verbs that don’t follow these patterns and are irregular in the imperfect: ser, ir, and ver. Their forms are unique: ser becomes era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran; ir becomes iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban; ver becomes veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían. These irregular forms differ from the regular endings, which is why these three are singled out as irregular in this tense. The other options include verbs that mostly use the standard imperfect endings, so they don’t form a complete irregular set like the trio above.