aclarar Imperfect Conjugation

When to Use the Imperfect

The imperfect is for describing ongoing actions in the past, habitual actions, or setting the scene. For 'aclarar', you might say 'Él siempre aclaraba las cosas con paciencia' (He always clarified things patiently) or 'Mientras el sol aclaraba el cielo, preparábamos el desayuno.' (While the sun brightened the sky, we prepared breakfast.)

Notes on aclarar in the Imperfect

Aclarar is regular in the imperfect indicative. The forms are made from the infinitive stem ('aclar-') plus the imperfect endings (-aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban).

Example Sentences

• Yo aclaraba mis ideas en mi diario.

  I used to clarify my ideas in my diary.

  yo

• ¿Tú aclarabas las instrucciones para los nuevos empleados?

  Did you use to clarify the instructions for the new employees?

  tú

• Ella aclaraba el agua del río con un filtro.

  She was clarifying the river water with a filter.

  él/ella/usted

• Nosotros aclarábamos el tema cada vez que surgía.

  We used to clarify the topic every time it came up.

  nosotros

• Ellos aclaraban los procedimientos con los clientes.

  They were clarifying the procedures with the clients.

  ellos/ellas/ustedes

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Confusing imperfect ('aclaraba') with preterite ('aclaró').

  Correct: Use 'aclaraba' for ongoing or habitual past actions ('He always clarified') and 'aclaró' for completed actions ('He clarified yesterday').

  Why: The imperfect describes background or continuity, while the preterite marks a specific, finished event.

• Mistake: Using the wrong stem for the imperfect 'nosotros' form.

  Correct: The correct form is 'aclarábamos', not something like 'aclaríamos'.

  Why: The imperfect endings (-aba, -ía) are added to the infinitive stem, not the conditional stem.

Related Tenses