ahuyentar Imperfect Conjugation
ahuyentar — to scare away
The imperfect of ahuyentar (ahuyentaba, ahuyentabas, etc.) describes past habits or ongoing actions, like regularly scaring away animals.
ahuyentar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense for ongoing actions in the past, habitual actions, or descriptions. For 'ahuyentar,' you might say 'Cuando era niño, yo ahuyentaba a los perros del vecino' (When I was a child, I used to scare away the neighbor's dogs) or 'El ruido constante ahuyentaba a los animales del bosque' (The constant noise was scaring away the animals of the forest).
Notes on ahuyentar in the Imperfect
Ahuyentar is regular in the imperfect tense. The stem 'ahuyent-' is used with the standard imperfect endings for -ar verbs (-aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban).
Example Sentences
Yo ahuyentaba a los cuervos que se comían mis cosechas.
I used to scare away the crows that were eating my crops.
yo
¿Tú ahuyentabas a los gatos del tejado cada noche?
Did you used to scare away the cats from the roof every night?
tú
Ella ahuyentaba a los insectos con un ventilador.
She used to scare away the insects with a fan.
él/ella/usted
Ellos ahuyentaban a los intrusos de la propiedad.
They used to scare away the intruders from the property.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect for habitual past actions.
Correct: For repeated or habitual actions in the past, use the imperfect: 'Ahuyentaba a los pájaros' (I used to scare away the birds).
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or repeated actions in the past, setting the scene, while the preterite describes single, completed events.
Mistake: Confusing the nosotros form.
Correct: The nosotros form is 'ahuyentábamos'.
Why: Incorrectly applying endings is a common issue with the imperfect tense.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: ahuyento
The present tense of ahuyentar (ahuyento, ahuyentas, etc.) describes current actions or habitual behavior.
Preterite
yo: ahuyenté
The preterite of ahuyentar is regular, used for completed actions like scaring away pests at a specific time.
Future
yo: ahuyentaré
The future tense of ahuyentar (ahuyentaré, ahuyentarás, etc.) is regular and used for predictions or definite future actions.
Conditional
yo: ahuyentaría
The conditional of ahuyentar (ahuyentaría, ahuyentarías, etc.) is regular and used for hypothetical situations or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: ahuyente
The present subjunctive of ahuyentar (ahuyente, ahuyentes, etc.) is used after expressions of desire, doubt, emotion, and uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: ahuyentara
The imperfect subjunctive of ahuyentar (ahuyentara/ahuyentase) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: ahuyenta
The imperative of ahuyentar is regular for tú (ahuyenta) but uses subjunctive forms for others.
Negative Imperative
yo: no ahuyentes
Negative commands for ahuyentar use the present subjunctive with 'no'.