Imperfect vs. Preterite

The form 'vivía' is the Imperfect tense, which paints a picture of the past by describing ongoing situations or actions that happened repeatedly (like habits).

The Imperfect Tense's Job

'Vivía' is tricky because it can mean 'I used to live' (yo) or 'He/She/It/You (formal) used to live' (él/ella/usted). You must rely on the context or the pronoun to know who is doing the action.

Dual Personality

If you are talking about something you did *regularly* in the past (e.g., every summer, every day), 'vivía' is almost always the right choice.

Focus on the Habit

Extremely common; essential for describing the past.

Learn the meaning and correct usage of the Spanish imperfect verb form 'vivía' (I/he/she used to live), a conjugation of 'vivir'. Includes examples and tips on distinguishing it from the preterite tense.

vivía

Complete Conjugation Tables

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

future

imperfect

conditional

preterite

imperative

negative

affirmative

subjunctive

present

imperfect

Practice Conjugations