acechar Imperfect Conjugation
acechar — to stalk
The imperfect (acechaba, acechabas, etc.) describes ongoing or habitual past actions, and background settings.
acechar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect for actions that were in progress in the past ('He was stalking the prey'), habitual actions ('He used to stalk birds'), or to describe the background scene ('It was dark, and a shadow stalked...').
Notes on acechar in the Imperfect
Acechar is regular in the imperfect tense. All forms follow the standard pattern.
Example Sentences
Cuando era niño, acechaba a los insectos en el jardín.
When I was a child, I used to stalk insects in the garden.
yo
La policía los acechaba sin que ellos lo supieran.
The police were stalking them without them knowing.
él/ella/usted
¿Tú acechabas al gato cuando eras pequeño?
Were you stalking the cat when you were little?
tú
Mientras mamá cocinaba, los niños acechaban afuera.
While Mom was cooking, the children were stalking outside.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single, completed action in the past.
Correct: For a completed action like 'He stalked the mouse once', use the preterite 'acechó'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual actions, not single, finished events.
Mistake: Confusing imperfect and preterite when describing past events.
Correct: Use imperfect ('acechaba') for background/ongoing actions and preterite ('acechó') for completed actions.
Why: This is a fundamental difference: imperfect sets the scene or describes duration, preterite marks a specific event.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: acecho
The present indicative (acecho, acechas, acecha, acechamos, acecháis, acechan) describes current actions, habits, or general truths.
Preterite
yo: aceché
The preterite of acechar is regular: aceché, acechaste, acechó, acechamos, acechasteis, acecharon.
Future
yo: acecharé
The future tense (acecharé, acecharás, etc.) indicates actions that will happen or expresses probability.
Conditional
yo: acecharía
The conditional (acecharía, acecharías, etc.) is used for hypotheticals ('would stalk'), polite requests, and future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: aceche
The present subjunctive (aceche, aceches, etc.) follows expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: acechara
The imperfect subjunctive (acechara/acechase) expresses past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: acecha
Use 'acecha' for tú commands, 'aceche' for usted, 'acechemos' for nosotros, 'acechad' for vosotros, and 'acechen' for ustedes.
Negative Imperative
yo: no aceches
Negative commands use 'no' plus the present subjunctive: no aceches (tú), no aceche (usted), no acechemos (nosotros), no acechéis (vosotros), no acechen (ustedes).