acatar Imperfect Conjugation
acatar — to obey
Use 'acataba' (él/ella/usted) and 'acataban' (ellos/ellas/ustedes) for past habitual or ongoing obedience.
acatar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
The imperfect tense describes actions of obeying that were habitual, ongoing, or served as background description in the past. It paints a picture of what obedience looked like over a period of time or as a routine.
Notes on acatar in the Imperfect
'Acatar' is regular in the imperfect indicative and follows the standard conjugation pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Cuando era niño, yo acataba todo lo que decían mis padres.
When I was a child, I obeyed everything my parents said.
yo
¿Tú acatabas las reglas en la escuela?
Did you used to obey the rules at school?
tú
Él acataba las órdenes sin dudar.
He obeyed orders without hesitation.
él/ella/usted
Ellos acataban las costumbres de su pueblo.
They obeyed the customs of their town.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single, completed act of obedience.
Correct: For a specific, finished action, use the preterite (e.g., 'Acató la orden' - He obeyed the order). Use the imperfect ('Acataba la orden') only if it was a repeated or ongoing action.
Why: The imperfect describes duration or habit, while the preterite describes a completed event.
Mistake: Confusing the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms.
Correct: Both 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' use '-aba' endings (e.g., 'yo acataba', 'él acataba'). Context is key.
Why: These forms are identical, making context crucial for understanding who is performing the action.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: acato
Use 'acato' (yo) and 'acata' (él/ella/usted) for current or habitual obedience.
Preterite
yo: acaté
Use 'acaté' (yo) and 'acató' (él/ella/usted) for completed actions of obeying in the past.
Future
yo: acataré
Use 'acataré' (yo) and 'acatará' (él/ella/usted) for future obedience or probability.
Conditional
yo: acataría
Use 'acataría' (yo) and 'acataría' (él/ella/usted) for hypothetical obedience ('would obey').
Present Subjunctive
yo: acate
Use 'acate' (él/ella/usted) or 'acates' (tú) after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: acatara
Use 'acatara' or 'acataras' etc. for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: acata
Use 'acata' (tú) and 'acate' (usted) for direct commands to obey.
Negative Imperative
yo: no acates
Use 'no acates' (tú) and 'no acate' (usted) for negative commands to obey.