acontecer Imperfect Conjugation
acontecer — to happen
The imperfect of acontecer is regular: acontecía, acontecías, acontecía.
acontecer Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use this to describe ongoing events in the past or to set the scene (e.g., 'Things were happening...').
Notes on acontecer in the Imperfect
This verb is completely regular in the imperfect indicative.
Example Sentences
Muchas cosas acontecían en ese pequeño pueblo.
Many things used to happen in that small town.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Mientras yo dormía, algo extraño acontecía fuera.
While I was sleeping, something strange was happening outside.
él/ella/usted
Todo acontecía muy despacio en verano.
Everything used to happen very slowly in summer.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: acontecia
Correct: acontecía
Why: The 'í' in the -ía ending for -er verbs in the imperfect must always have an accent.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: acontezco
The present indicative features a 'c' to 'zc' change only in the 'yo' form: acontezco.
Preterite
yo: acontecí
The preterite of acontecer describes a specific event that took place: acontecí, aconteciste, aconteció.
Future
yo: aconteceré
The future tense is regular: aconteceré, acontecerás, acontecerá.
Conditional
yo: acontecería
The conditional is regular: acontecería, acontecerías, acontecería.
Present Subjunctive
yo: acontezca
The present subjunctive of acontecer uses the stem acontezc- to handle the 'c' to 'zc' change.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: aconteciera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the stem acontecie- followed by endings like -ra or -se.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: acontece
The imperative of acontecer is rarely used, but follows the 'c' to 'zc' change in formal commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no acontezcas
The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive forms: no acontezcas, no acontezca.