Describing Friends in Spanish: Imperfect Tense & Vocabulary

Learning how to describe people in Spanish is essential for engaging in conversations and expressing your thoughts. In this blog post, we’ll explore the imperfect tense, a fundamental verb tense in Spanish, and how it can be used to describe your friends. We’ll also delve into essential vocabulary related to physical appearance, personality, and activities.

The Imperfect Tense: A Window into the Past

The imperfect tense in Spanish, known as the pretérito imperfecto, is used to describe ongoing actions, habits, or states in the past. It paints a picture of what was happening rather than focusing on a single completed event. Here’s how it works:

Forming the Imperfect Tense

To form the imperfect tense, you’ll need the stem of the verb (the base form minus the infinitive ending -ar, -er, or -ir) and the following endings:

	-ar verbs	-er/-ir verbs
Yo (I)	-aba	-ía
Tú (You)	-abas	-ías
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/Formal You)	-aba	-ía
Nosotros/Nosotras (We)	-ábamos	-íamos
Vosotros/Vosotras (You, informal plural)	-abais	-íais
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes (They/Formal You)	-aban	-ían

For example:

• Hablar (to speak) – Hablaba (I was speaking)
• Leer (to read) – Leía (I was reading)

Describing Your Friends: Vocabulary and Examples

Now let’s put the imperfect tense into practice by describing your friends. Here’s a list of vocabulary to help you:

Physical Appearance

• Alto/a (tall)
• Bajo/a (short)
• Delgado/a (thin)
• Gordo/a (fat)
• Rubio/a (blonde)
• Moreno/a (brown hair)
• Pelirrojo/a (red hair)
• Ojos azules (blue eyes)
• Ojos marrones (brown eyes)

Personality

• Divertido/a (funny)
• Inteligente (intelligent)
• Amigable (friendly)
• Tímido/a (shy)
• Responsable (responsible)
• Creativo/a (creative)

Activities

• Jugar al fútbol (play soccer)
• Escuchar música (listen to music)
• Leer libros (read books)
• Ir al cine (go to the movies)
• Hacer senderismo (go hiking)

Example Sentences

• Mi amigo Juan era muy alto y tenía el pelo rubio. (My friend Juan was very tall and had blonde hair.)
• Mi amiga María era muy divertida y siempre nos hacía reír. (My friend Maria was very funny and always made us laugh.)
• Solíamos ir al cine juntos los fines de semana. (We used to go to the movies together on the weekends.)

Practice Makes Perfect!

The best way to learn is through practice. Try describing your own friends in Spanish using the imperfect tense and the vocabulary you’ve learned. You can also find more examples online or in Spanish textbooks. Remember, with consistent practice, you’ll become more comfortable expressing yourself in Spanish.