Learn entrevistar conjugation in Pretérito Imperfecto step by step with detailed explanations

Image of entrevistar conjugation in Pretérito Imperfecto

entrevistar means: to interview

In this lesson we are going to learn how to conjugate the verb entrevistar in the Pretérito Imperfecto tense of the Indicativo mood. It means we will see step by step how to get the following conjugation:

yo	entrevistaba	I interviewed
tú	entrevistabas	you interviewed
él/ella/usted	entrevistaba	he/she/it interviewed
nosotros/nosotras	entrevistábamos	we interviewed
vosotros/vosotras	entrevistabais	you interviewed
ellos/ellas/ustedes	entrevistaban	they interviewed

This lesson is specifically about the entrevistar verb conjugation. For a general overview of all the Simple Tenses conjugation have a look at our Simple Tenses Conjugation Chart.

We also have a Video Presentation on how to conjugate verbs in Pretérito Imperfecto. It’s embedded on the right, but using the above link you can find additional information on conjugation in this tense as well as explanation of exceptions and special cases.

How to translate Pretérito Imperfecto to English

Note that the English phrases in the third column of the above conjugation chart are not direct translations from Spanish to English. They are usually the closest general equivalents. The example differences are:

In Spanish, there is the form usted in the third person singular. But this person does not translate to the English third person singular. It translates to the so called formal you and uses the inflected form which is most often represented as he/she/it in English conjugation charts.
Similar situation happens in the third person plural, where ustedes translates to the English plural formal you but uses the form which corresponds to the they form in English.
Tenses are used differently in Spanish and English, so the actual translation should always take into account the context and focus on translating the meaning, not just words.
In both languages each verb may have multiple meanings and not every meaning translates directly to the other language. Here also, the context and focusing on the particular meaning helps to create the most accurate translation.

Note the timeline

The ability to accurately locate the desired position on the timeline is a crucial skill for proper choice of tenses. So note the timeline in our lessons and visualize it while speaking, listening, writing and reading. After some practice you’ll be able to select the right tense to use much easier. timeline preterito imperfecto how to conjugate spanish verbs

timeline preterito imperfecto how to conjugate spanish verbs

Step by step instructions

Pretérito Imperfecto belongs to the simple tenses group, which means that all of the inflected forms are one word long. There are also compound (compuesto) tenses in Spanish language, where each inflected form consists of two words.

The verb entrevistar has a completely regular conjugation in the Pretérito Imperfecto tense of the Indicativo mood. It means this verb simply follows the general rules for its group (-ar) without any exceptions. This tense is really easy, as there are only three exceptions!

The basis for the conjugation in this tense is the stem of the verb, so we start by splitting the infinitive into a stem and an ending. It’s very easy to do. Simply remove two letters from the end of the infinitive form and you have the ending — one of -ar, -er or -ir. What’s left is the stem.

So in case of the verb entrevistar it’s easy to see that:

the stem is: entrevist-
and the ending is: -ar

Use the stem entrevist- in each person as the basis for the conjugation, the common prefix or root that each of the forms begins with.

endings preterito imperfecto ar how to conjugate spanish verbs

Next, add to this regular stem the endings specific to each person. See the image on the side showing all the six endings. Note both the colors and shapes of the letters. It should help you find patterns and make it easier to remember these endings.

Each grammatical person has a specific ending in each of the three conjugation groups -ar, -er, -ir.

Add the regular ending -aba for the first person singular to create entrevistaba:

yo entrevistaba

Also as in the previous case add the regular ending -abas for the second person singular to create entrevistabas:

tú entrevistabas

And add the regular ending -aba for the third person singular to create entrevistaba:

él entrevistaba
ella entrevistaba
usted entrevistaba

Similarly add the regular ending -ábamos for the first person plural to create entrevistábamos.

Note difference in spelling

Only the first person plural has an accent here.

This difference exists only in case of the verbs from the -ar group. Other groups always have an accented i in the ending in this tense.

So add the accent to get entrevistábamos:

nosotros entrevistábamos
nosotras entrevistábamos

And again add the regular ending -abais for the second person plural to create entrevistabais:

vosotros entrevistabais
vosotras entrevistabais

And add the regular ending -aban for the third person plural to create entrevistaban:

ellos entrevistaban
ellas entrevistaban
ustedes entrevistaban

This is it! The conjugation is now finished. But don’t end your session yet – it’s important to repeat and practice the material in order to remember it. Check below for some links.

Next Steps

To practice this conjugation and test your knowledge try this Conjugation Exercise or the Memory Game
To see other conjugation lessons for this verb choose another tense:
For exercises and examples related to entrevistar visit our Exercise section
To see conjugation charts in all tenses for entrevistar visit the Conjugator
To explore other learning materials visit the Study section