abusar Imperfect Conjugation
abusar — to take advantage of
The imperfect of abusar (abusaba, abusabas) describes habitual or ongoing past actions of taking advantage.
abusar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense of 'abusar' to describe actions of taking advantage that were habitual in the past ('Cuando era niño, abusaba de las galletas' - When I was a child, I used to abuse cookies) or to set the scene in the past ('Él abusaba de su autoridad constantemente' - He constantly abused his authority).
Notes on abusar in the Imperfect
Abusar is regular in the imperfect indicative. The forms are: abusaba, abusabas, abusaba, abusábamos, abusabais, abusaban.
Example Sentences
Antes, yo abusaba de mi buena suerte.
Before, I used to take advantage of my good luck.
yo
Ellos abusaban de la situación porque nadie los detenía.
They took advantage of the situation because nobody stopped them.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
¿Tú abusabas de las reglas?
Did you bend the rules often?
tú
Ella abusaba de su posición para conseguir favores.
She used her position to get favors.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect for ongoing or habitual past actions.
Correct: For actions that happened repeatedly or were in progress in the past, use the imperfect: 'Él abusaba', not 'Él abusó'.
Why: The imperfect describes the background or duration of past actions, not their completion.
Mistake: Confusing the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms.
Correct: Both are 'abusaba', but context clarifies who is acting.
Why: These forms are identical, requiring careful attention to the subject of the sentence.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: abuso
The present tense of abusar (abuso, abusas, abusa) describes current or habitual actions of taking advantage.
Preterite
yo: abusé
The preterite of abusar (abusé, abusaste, abusó) marks completed actions of taking advantage in the past.
Future
yo: abusaré
The future tense of abusar (abusaré, abusarás) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: abusaría
The conditional of abusar (abusaría, abusarías) expresses 'would' actions or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: abuse
The present subjunctive of abusar (abuse, abuses, abusen) follows expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: abusara
The imperfect subjunctive of abusar (e.g., abusara, abusaras) is used for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: abusa
Use 'abusa' (tú) and 'abuse' (usted/ustedes) for direct commands with abusar.
Negative Imperative
yo: no abuses
Negative commands with 'abusar' use the present subjunctive with 'no', like 'no abuses'.