Take a Family Trip in Spanish

Quick Answer

¡Hola!Learn how to take a family trip in Spanish in this article and the lessons above! Specifically, learn how to do the following in Spanish:

• use vocabulary related to camping

• talk about outdoor activities

• use the imperfect to describe past habits

Vocabulary

Let's start off with the vocab words in these lessons!

Adjectives

Spanish	English
amplio	spacious
lleno	full
peculiar	peculiar, odd
pintoresco	picturesque
vistoso	eye-catching

examples
Ellos tenían un cámper que era más amplio que el nuestro. They had a camper that was more spacious than ours.
Siempre estaban llenos de gente. They were always full of people.
Las vacaciones de mi infancia eran peculiares. My childhood vacations were peculiar.

Adverbs

Spanish	English
alrededor	around
aproximadamente	approximately
deprisa	fast
generalmente	usually
típicamente	typically

examples
Muchas veces, explorábamos alrededor del camping. We often explored around the campground.
Por las mañanas, manejaba aproximadamente cinco horas. In the mornings, he drove for approximately five hours.
Mi padre manejaba muy deprisa. My father drove very fast.

Nouns

Spanish	English
el agricultor	farmer
la agricultura	agriculture
el cámper	camper
la infancia	childhood
el recuerdo	memory

examples
Había un agricultor con quien mi padre siempre charlaba. There was a farmer with whom my father always chatted.
Él siempre sabía todo sobre la agricultura local. He always knew everything about local agriculture.
Mis padres siempre rentaban un cámper. My parents always rented a camper.

Noun Phrase

Spanish	English
el mercado agrícola	farmers market

examples
Los fines de semana, había mercados agrícolas. On weekends, there were farmers markets.

Pronoun

Spanish	English
quienes	whom, who

examples
Teníamos unos amigos con quienes siempre cenábamos. We had some friends with whom we always had dinner.

Quienes

Quien (and its plural form quienes) is a relative pronoun that is used when the antecedent refers to a person and is separated from the antecedent, usually by a comma or preposition. It's commonly used after prepositions like para and con.

Verbs

In this skill, you learn the following verbs!

Caminar

Caminar(to walk) is an -ar verb that is regular in the imperfect.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	caminaba	I walked
tú	caminabas	you walked	informal singular you
vos	caminabas	you walked	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	caminaba	he, she walked
usted	caminaba	you walked	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	caminábamos	we walked
vosotros, vosotras	caminabais	you walked	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	caminaban	they walked
ustedes	caminaban	you walked	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Cansarse

Cansarse(to get tired) is an -ar pronominal verb that is regular in the imperfect.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	me cansaba	I got tired
tú	te cansabas	you got tired	informal singular you
vos	te cansabas	you got tired	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	se cansaba	he, she got tired
usted	se cansaba	you got tired	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	nos cansábamos	we got tired
vosotros, vosotras	os cansabais	you got tired	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	se cansaban	they got tired
ustedes	se cansaban	you got tired	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Charlar

Charlar(to chat) is an -ar verb that is regular in the imperfect.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	charlaba	I chatted
tú	charlabas	you chatted	informal singular you
vos	charlabas	you chatted	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	charlaba	he, she chatted
usted	charlaba	you chatted	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	charlábamos	we chatted
vosotros, vosotras	charlabais	you chatted	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	charlaban	they chatted
ustedes	charlaban	you chatted	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Durar

Durar(to last) is an -ar verb that is regular in the imperfect. We tend to use the third-person singular and plural forms of the verb to discuss an activity or event that lasted a certain amount of time.

Number	Conjugation
singular	duraba
plural	duraban

Encontrar

Encontrar(to find) is an -ar verb that is regular in the imperfect.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	encontraba	I found
tú	encontrabas	you found	informal singular you
vos	encontrabas	you found	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	encontraba	he, she found
usted	encontraba	you found	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	encontrábamos	we found
vosotros, vosotras	encontrabais	you found	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	encontraban	they found
ustedes	encontraban	you found	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Explorar

Explorar(to explore) is an -ar verb that is regular in the imperfect.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	exploraba	I explored
tú	explorabas	you explored	informal singular you
vos	explorabas	you explored	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	exploraba	he, she explored
usted	exploraba	you explored	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	explorábamos	we explored
vosotros, vosotras	explorabais	you explored	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	exploraban	they explored
ustedes	exploraban	you explored	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Manejar

Manejar(to drive) is an -ar verb that is regular in the imperfect.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	manejaba	I drove
tú	manejabas	you drove	informal singular you
vos	manejabas	you drove	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	manejaba	he, she drove
usted	manejaba	you drove	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	manejábamos	we drove
vosotros, vosotras	manejabais	you drove	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	manejaban	they drove
ustedes	manejaban	you drove	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Marcharse

Marcharse(to leave) is an -ar pronominal verb that is regular in the imperfect.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	me marchaba	I left
tú	te marchabas	you left	informal singular you
vos	te marchabas	you left	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	se marchaba	he, she left
usted	se marchaba	you left	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	nos marchábamos	we left
vosotros, vosotras	os marchabais	you left	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	se marchaban	they left
ustedes	se marchaban	you left	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Molestar

Molestar(to annoy) is an -ar verb that is regular in the imperfect.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	molestaba	I annoyed
tú	molestabas	you annoyed	informal singular you
vos	molestabas	you annoyed	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	molestaba	he, she annoyed
usted	molestaba	you annoyed	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	molestábamos	we annoyed
vosotros, vosotras	molestabais	you annoyed	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	molestaban	they annoyed
ustedes	molestaban	you annoyed	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Parquear

Parquear(to park) is an -ar verb that is regular in the imperfect.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	parqueaba	I parked
tú	parqueabas	you parked	informal singular you
vos	parqueabas	you parked	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	parqueaba	he, she parked
usted	parqueaba	you parked	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	parqueábamos	we parked
vosotros, vosotras	parqueabais	you parked	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	parqueaban	they parked
ustedes	parqueaban	you parked	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Pintar

Pintar(to paint) is an -ar verb that is regular in the imperfect.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	pintaba	I painted
tú	pintabas	you painted	informal singular you
vos	pintabas	you painted	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	pintaba	he, she painted
usted	pintaba	you painted	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	pintábamos	we painted
vosotros, vosotras	pintabais	you painted	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	pintaban	they painted
ustedes	pintaban	you painted	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Reírse

Reírse(to laugh) is an -ir pronominal verb that is regular in the imperfect.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	me reía	I laughed
tú	te reías	you laughed	informal singular you
vos	te reías	you laughed	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	se reía	he, she laughed
usted	se reía	you laughed	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	nos reíamos	we laughed
vosotros, vosotras	os reíais	you laughed	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	se reían	they laughed
ustedes	se reían	you laughed	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Relajarse

Relajarse(to relax) is an -ar pronominal verb that is regular in the imperfect.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	me relajaba	I relaxed
tú	te relajabas	you relaxed	informal singular you
vos	te relajabas	you relaxed	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	se relajaba	he, she relaxed
usted	se relajaba	you relaxed	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	nos relajábamos	we relaxed
vosotros, vosotras	os relajabais	you relaxed	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	se relajaban	they relaxed
ustedes	se relajaban	you relaxed	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Rentar

Rentar(to rent) is an -ar verb that is regular in the imperfect.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	rentaba	I rented
tú	rentabas	you rented	informal singular you
vos	rentabas	you rented	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	rentaba	he, she rented
usted	rentaba	you rented	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	rentábamos	we rented
vosotros, vosotras	rentabais	you rented	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	rentaban	they rented
ustedes	rentaban	you rented	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Respirar

Respirar(to breathe) is an -ar verb that is regular in the imperfect.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	respiraba	I breathed
tú	respirabas	you breathed	informal singular you
vos	respirabas	you breathed	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	respiraba	he, she breathed
usted	respiraba	you breathed	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	respirábamos	we breathed
vosotros, vosotras	respirabais	you breathed	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	respiraban	they breathed
ustedes	respiraban	you breathed	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Sentir

Sentir(to feel) is an -ir verb that is regular in the imperfect.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	sentía	I felt
tú	sentías	you felt	informal singular you
vos	sentías	you felt	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	sentía	he, she felt
usted	sentía	you felt	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	sentíamos	we felt
vosotros, vosotras	sentíais	you felt	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	sentían	they felt
ustedes	sentían	you felt	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Soler

Soler(to tend to, to use to) is an -er verb that is regular in the imperfect.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	solía	I used to
tú	solías	you used to	informal singular you
vos	solías	you used to	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	solía	he, she used to
usted	solía	you used to	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	solíamos	we used to
vosotros, vosotras	solíais	you used to	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	solían	they used to
ustedes	solían	you used to	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Soler

Soler is one of those unique Spanish words that are a bit tough to translate. When used in the present tense, it can be roughly translated as usually or tend to in English. Because it describes the ongoing nature of another action, you’ll see soler paired up with another verb in the infinitive.

Soler in the Past

Since soler describes the habit of another action, we always use the imperfect when using soler to talk about the past. In the past tense, soler can be translated as to use to.

Imperfect Verbs: Introduction

The imperfect tense, or pretérito imperfecto, is one of the two tenses used to talk about the past in Spanish. We use it to talk about descriptions in the past, like past habits, repeated actions, feelings, and beliefs held in the past, or to set the scene when talking about an action that was interrupted.

In these lessons, you learned some common expressions that indicate that the imperfect tense should be used. These expressions include:

• generalmente

• los fines de semana

• muchas veces

• por las mañanas

• por las tardes

• siempre

• típicamente

Imperfect Verbs: Regular Verbs

Conjugating verbs in the imperfect tense is simple! Just take the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir) off the verb and add one of the following endings. Don’t forget the tildes(accents)!

Subject	-ar Verbs	-er and -ir Verbs
yo	-aba	-ía
tú	-abas	-ías
vos	-abas	-ías
él, ella, usted	-aba	-ía
nosotros	-ábamos	-íamos
vosotros	-abais	-íais
ellos, ellas, ustedes	-aban	-ían

Imperfect Tense: Irregular Verbs

Like any other tense in Spanish, the imperfect tense is, well, imperfect! However, it’s far more user-friendly than other Spanish tenses; there are just three irregular verbs! Here’s how you conjugate all three irregular verbs in the imperfect tense:

Subject	Ir (to go)	Ser (to be)	Ver (to see)
yo	iba	era	veía
tú	ibas	eras	veías
vos	ibas	eras	veías
él, ella, usted	iba	era	veía
nosotros	íbamos	éramos	veíamos
vosotros	ibais	erais	veíais
ellos, ellas, ustedes	iban	eran	veían

Quiz Yourself!

Want more practice with the vocabulary you learned in these lessons? Click here!

Spanish Conversation

Fantastic! Let's put the grammar and vocab from above to the test in the following example of a conversation in Spanish.

Natalia:

¿Cómo eran las vacaciones de tu infancia, David?

What were your childhood vacations like, David?

David:

Las vacaciones de mi infancia eran peculiares. Mis padres siempre rentaban un cámper, pero el cámper que rentaban era demasiado pequeño.

My childhood vacations were peculiar. My parents always rented a camper, but the camper they rented was too small.

Natalia:

¿Iban a campings o parqueaban en el campo?

Did you go to campgrounds or did you park in the countryside?

David:

Íbamos a campings. Los campings donde parqueábamos estaban siempre llenos.

We went to campgrounds. The campgrounds where we parked were always full.

Natalia:

¿Qué otras cosas hacías?

What other things did you do?

David:

Muchas veces, explorábamos alrededor del camping. Mi hermano encontraba las mejores caminatas. ¡Allí, se respiraba aire puro!

We often explored around the campground. My brother found the best hikes. There, you could breathe fresh air!

Want to learn more about how to take a family trip in Spanish? Check out the following articles!

• "Car" in Spanish

• Describe Your Ideal Trip in Spanish

• Plan a Trip to a Spanish-Speaking Country