acosar Imperfect Conjugation
acosar — to harass
Use 'acosaba', 'acosabas', 'acosaba', 'acosábamos', 'acosabais', 'acosaban' for ongoing or habitual past actions.
acosar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
The imperfect is for describing ongoing actions in the past ('He was harassing me') or habitual actions ('He used to harass me all the time'). It sets the scene or describes background conditions.
Notes on acosar in the Imperfect
Acosar is regular in the imperfect tense. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Cuando era joven, acosaba a mis amigos con bromas.
When I was young, I used to tease my friends with jokes.
yo
Mientras estudiabas, el vecino te acosaba con ruido.
While you were studying, the neighbor was bothering you with noise.
tú
El perro acosaba al cartero todos los días.
The dog used to chase the mailman every day.
él/ella/usted
Ellos acosaban al árbitro con quejas.
They were pestering the referee with complaints.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite for descriptions or ongoing past actions.
Correct: For background or repeated actions, use the imperfect: 'El gato acosaba el ratón' (The cat was chasing the mouse), not 'El gato acosó'.
Why: The imperfect describes the continuity or habit, while the preterite focuses on the completion.
Mistake: Confusing the yo and él/ella/usted forms.
Correct: Both 'acosaba' (yo) and 'acosaba' (él/ella/usted) are the same. Context clarifies who is acting.
Why: This similarity can be confusing, but the meaning is usually clear from the rest of the sentence.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: acoso
Use 'acoso', 'acosas', 'acosa', 'acosamos', 'acosáis', 'acosan' for actions happening now, habits, or general truths.
Preterite
yo: acosé
The preterite of acosar is regular: acosé, acosaste, acosó, acosamos, acosasteis, acosaron, for completed past actions.
Future
yo: acosaré
Use 'acosaré', 'acosarás', 'acosará', 'acosaremos', 'acosaréis', 'acosarán' for actions that will happen in the future.
Conditional
yo: acosaría
Use 'acosaría', 'acosarías', 'acosaría', 'acosaríamos', 'acosaríais', 'acosarían' for hypotheticals ('would'), polite requests, or future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: acose
Use 'acose' (yo/él/ella/usted), 'acoses' (tú), 'acosemos' (nosotros), etc., after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: acosara
Use 'acosara' or 'acosase' (yo/él/ella/usted), 'acosaras' or 'acosases' (tú), 'acosáramos' or 'acosásemos' (nosotros), etc., for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: acosa
Use 'acosa' (tú), 'acosad' (vosotros), 'acose' (usted/él), 'acosemos' (nosotros), 'acosen' (ustedes/ellos) for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no acoses
Use 'no acoses' (tú), 'no acoséis' (vosotros), 'no acose' (usted/él), 'no acosemos' (nosotros), 'no acosen' (ustedes/ellos) for negative commands.