acorralar Imperfect Conjugation
acorralar — to corner
The imperfect of acorralar (acorralaba, acorralabas) describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
acorralar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense for descriptions in the past, ongoing actions, or habitual actions. Think of setting a scene: 'The cat was cornering a toy mouse,' or a repeated action: 'He used to corner me in the hallway every day.'
Notes on acorralar in the Imperfect
Acoralalar is regular in the imperfect tense. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Cuando era niño, mi perro siempre me acorralaba en el jardín.
When I was a child, my dog always used to corner me in the garden.
yo
Mientras tú hablabas, él te acorralaba con la mirada.
While you were talking, he was cornering you with his gaze.
él/ella/usted
Los reporteros acorralaban al político a la salida.
The reporters were cornering the politician on his way out.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nosotros acorralábamos al último jugador para que no escapara.
We used to corner the last player so he wouldn't escape.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite 'acorraló' instead of the imperfect 'acorralaba'.
Correct: Use 'acorralaba' to describe an ongoing or habitual action in the past.
Why: The imperfect describes the background or duration, while the preterite describes a completed event.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'acorralábamos' (nosotros).
Correct: Remember the accent on the 'a': acorralábamos.
Why: The accent is necessary for correct pronunciation and to indicate the stressed syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: acorralo
Acoralalar's present tense (acorralo, acorralas, acorrala) describes current actions or habits.
Preterite
yo: acorralé
Acoralalar is regular in the preterite, with forms like 'acorralé' (I cornered) and 'acorralaron' (they cornered).
Future
yo: acorralaré
The future tense of acorralar (acorralaré, acorralarás) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: acorralaría
The conditional of acorralar (acorralaría, acorralarías) is used for hypothetical outcomes ('would') or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: acorralé
The present subjunctive of acorralar (acorale, acorales, acorralen) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: acorralara
The imperfect subjunctive of acorralar (e.g., acorralara, acorralaras) is used for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: acorrala
Acoralalar's imperative forms are mostly regular, with 'acorrala' for tú and 'acorralad' for vosotros.
Negative Imperative
yo: no acorrales
Negative commands for acorralar use the present subjunctive, like 'no acorrales' (tú) and 'no acorralen' (ustedes).