ahuyentar Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
ahuyentar — to scare away
The imperfect subjunctive of ahuyentar (ahuyentara/ahuyentase) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
ahuyentar Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
Use the imperfect subjunctive to talk about hypothetical situations, wishes, or emotions in the past. For 'ahuyentar,' you might say 'Ojalá ahuyentara a esos ladrones' (I wish he would scare away those thieves) or 'Si yo ahuyentara a los fantasmas, no tendría miedo' (If I were to scare away the ghosts, I wouldn't be scared).
Notes on ahuyentar in the Imperfect Subjunctive
Ahuyentar is regular in the imperfect subjunctive. You can use either the -ra form (ahuyentara) or the -se form (ahuyentase), with the -ra form being more common in many regions. The endings are added to the stem 'ahuyent-'.
Example Sentences
Quería que tú ahuyentaras a los mosquitos.
I wanted you to scare away the mosquitoes.
tú
Si él ahuyentara a los gatos, el perro estaría tranquilo.
If he were to scare away the cats, the dog would be calm.
él/ella/usted
Sería bueno que nosotros ahuyentáramos a los intrusos.
It would be good if we scared away the intruders.
nosotros
Dudaba que ellos ahuyentaran la mala suerte.
I doubted that they would scare away the bad luck.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect subjunctive, e.g., 'Si ahuntó...' instead of 'Si ahuyentara...'.
Correct: For hypothetical past conditions, use the imperfect subjunctive: 'Si ahuyentara...'.
Why: The preterite describes completed actions, while the imperfect subjunctive is used for unreal or hypothetical conditions in the past.
Mistake: Confusing the -ra and -se forms, or using incorrect endings.
Correct: Remember the endings for the -ra form: -ra, -ras, -ra, -ramos, -rais, -ran. The -se forms have similar endings. Both are generally acceptable.
Why: Both sets of endings are grammatically correct, but learners might mix them up or use wrong endings.
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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.
Imperfect
yo: ahuyentaba
The imperfect of ahuyentar (ahuyentaba, ahuyentabas, etc.) describes past habits or ongoing actions, like regularly scaring away animals.
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.
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'.