acostar Imperfect Conjugation
acostar — to put to bed
Acostar is regular in the imperfect: acostaba, acostabas, acostaba, acostábamos, acostabais, acostaban.
acostar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe habitual bedtime routines in the past or to say what was happening when something else occurred.
Notes on acostar in the Imperfect
Acostar is regular in the imperfect. Remember to add an accent only on the 'nosotros' form (acostábamos).
Example Sentences
De niña, mi madre me acostaba siempre a las nueve.
As a child, my mother always used to put me to bed at nine.
él/ella/usted
Acostábamos a los niños cuando llamaron a la puerta.
We were putting the kids to bed when they knocked on the door.
nosotros
Ustedes acostaban a sus hijos muy tarde.
You all used to put your children to bed very late.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'acostábamos'.
Correct: acostábamos
Why: All -ar verbs in the imperfect require an accent on the first 'a' of the 'nosotros' ending.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: acuesto
Acostar is an O-to-UE stem-changer in the present tense: acuesto, acuestas, acuesta, acostamos, acostáis, acuestan.
Preterite
yo: acosté
Acostar is regular in the preterite: acosté, acostaste, acostó, acostamos, acostasteis, acostaron.
Future
yo: acostaré
Acostar is regular in the future: acostaré, acostarás, acostará, acostaremos, acostaréis, acostarán.
Conditional
yo: acostaría
Acostar is regular in the conditional: acostaría, acostarías, acostaría, acostaríamos, acostaríais, acostarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: acueste
Acostar has an O-to-UE stem change in the subjunctive: acueste, acuestes, acueste, acostemos, acostéis, acuesten.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: acostara
The imperfect subjunctive of acostar is regular: acostara, acostaras, acostara, acostáramos, acostarais, acostaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: acuesta
Use acuesta (tú), acueste (usted), and acostad (vosotros) to give orders to put someone to bed.
Negative Imperative
yo: no acuestes
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: no acuestes, no acueste, no acostemos, no acostéis, no acuesten.