adelantar Imperfect Conjugation
adelantar — to overtake
The imperfect of 'adelantar' (adelantaba, adelantabas, adelantaba) describes past ongoing actions or habits, like always moving forward.
adelantar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of 'adelantar' for actions that were happening repeatedly or continuously in the past, or to describe background settings. For example, 'Cuando era joven, siempre adelantaba en el trabajo' (When I was young, I always moved forward in my job) or 'El coche adelantaba al otro lentamente' (The car was overtaking the other one slowly).
Notes on adelantar in the Imperfect
Adelantar is regular in the imperfect indicative tense. The endings -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban are standard for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Mi abuelo siempre adelantaba el reloj en verano.
My grandfather always moved the clock forward in the summer.
él/ella/usted
Yo adelantaba la conversación hacia el tema principal.
I was moving the conversation towards the main topic.
yo
¿Vosotros adelantabais la hora de la cena en invierno?
Did you all used to move dinner time forward in the winter?
vosotros
Los coches nos adelantaban constantemente.
Cars were constantly overtaking us.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect for habitual actions.
Correct: For past habits like 'He used to move forward', use 'Él adelantaba', not 'Él adelantó'.
Why: The imperfect tense is specifically used for repeated or habitual actions in the past.
Mistake: Incorrectly conjugating the 'nosotros' form.
Correct: The imperfect 'nosotros' form is 'adelantábamos', with the accent on the 'a'.
Why: The 'nosotros' ending requires an accent on the stressed vowel of the stem.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: adelanto
The present tense of 'adelantar' (adelanto, adelantas, adelanta) describes current actions or habitual movements forward.
Preterite
yo: adelanté
The preterite of 'adelantar' (adelanté, adelantaste, adelantó) marks completed actions like overtaking a car.
Future
yo: adelantaré
The future tense of 'adelantar' (adelantaré, adelantarás, adelantará) predicts future actions like overtaking or moving something forward.
Conditional
yo: adelantaría
The conditional of 'adelantar' (adelantaría, adelantarías, adelantaría) expresses hypothetical actions ('would move forward') or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: adelante
The present subjunctive of adelantar (e.g., 'adelante', 'adelantes') is used after expressions of desire, doubt, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: adelantara
The imperfect subjunctive of adelantar (e.g., 'adelantara', 'adelantaras') is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: adelanta
Use the imperative of adelantar for direct commands like 'adelanta' (you, informal) or 'adelanten' (you all, formal).
Negative Imperative
yo: no adelantes
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: 'no adelantes' (don't move forward), 'no adelanten' (don't move forward).