administrar Imperfect Conjugation
administrar — to manage
The imperfect of administrar is regular: administraba, administrabas, administraba, administrábamos, administrabais, administraban.
administrar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe ongoing or habitual actions of managing in the past. It sets the scene or describes what someone used to do, like 'She used to manage the store' or 'They were managing the project when...'.
Notes on administrar in the Imperfect
Administrar is a regular -ar verb and follows the standard conjugation pattern in the imperfect indicative tense.
Example Sentences
Yo administraba la biblioteca cuando era joven.
I managed the library when I was young.
yo
¿Tú administrabas ese departamento antes?
Did you manage that department before?
tú
Ella administraba la casa con mano firme.
She managed the household with a firm hand.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros administrábamos los fondos de la asociación.
We managed the association's funds.
nosotros
Ellos administraban un restaurante en el centro.
They managed a restaurant downtown.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite tense 'administró' instead of the imperfect 'administraba'.
Correct: Use 'administraba' for ongoing or habitual management in the past. Use 'administró' for a specific, completed act of management.
Why: The imperfect describes background or continuous actions, while the preterite describes completed events.
Mistake: Confusing the 'nosotros' form 'administrábamos'.
Correct: Ensure the accent is on the 'a' in 'administrábamos'.
Why: The accent marks the correct pronunciation and grammatical stress.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'administrar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: administro
The present indicative of administrar is regular: administro, administras, administra, administramos, administráis, administran.
Preterite
yo: administré
The preterite of administrar is regular: administré, administraste, administró, administramos, administrasteis, administraron.
Future
yo: administraré
The future tense of administrar is regular: administraré, administrarás, administrará, etc.
Conditional
yo: administraría
The conditional of administrar is regular: administraría, administrarías, administraría, etc.
Present Subjunctive
yo: administre
The present subjunctive (administre, administres, etc.) is used for wishes, doubts, emotions, and uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: administrara
The imperfect subjunctive (administrara/administrase) expresses unreal or hypothetical situations in the past.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: administra
Use the imperative forms administra, administre, administremos, administrad, administren for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no administres
Negative commands use 'no' plus the present subjunctive: no administres, no administre, no administremos, no administréis, no administren.