This exam tips covers Errores frecuentes — Two Traps to Avoid within Imperfect tense (regular + key irregulars) for GCSE Spanish. Revise Imperfect tense (regular + key irregulars) in Time Frames for GCSE Spanish with 13 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. Use this page as part of a wider topic revision path rather than treating it as an isolated fact. It is section 3 of 4 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
⚠️ Errores frecuentes — Two Traps to Avoid
❌ Error 1: Cuando era niño, jugué al fútbol todos los días.
✅ Correcto: Cuando era niño, jugaba al fútbol todos los días.
Por qué: todos los días signals a habitual, repeated past action — exactly what the imperfect is for. Using the preterite jugué implies a single completed game on one particular occasion, which directly contradicts todos los días. The imperfect jugaba conveys "I used to play" — an open-ended habit across many occasions. Whenever you see frequency words (todos los días, siempre, a veces, normalmente), the imperfect is almost certainly correct.
❌ Error 2: Tenia doce años. (missing accent)
✅ Correcto: Tenía doce años.
Por qué: All -ER and -IR imperfect endings carry a written accent on the í — in every single form: tenía, tenías, tenía, teníamos, teníais, tenían. This applies to every -ER/-IR verb in the imperfect without exception: comía, vivía, veía. Writing tenia without the accent is a spelling error the examiner cannot ignore — it loses AO3 (accuracy) marks and, in the case of some verbs, changes the meaning. The accent is not optional; it is part of the correct written form.