ajar Imperfect Conjugation
ajar — to wear out
The imperfect tense of 'ajar' is regular: ajaba, ajabas, ajaba, ajábamos, ajabais, ajaban.
ajar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of 'ajar' to describe habitual actions of wearing things out in the past, or to set the scene by describing a state of being worn out. For example, 'Antes, ajaba mis zapatos muy rápido' (Before, I used to wear out my shoes very quickly) or 'La ropa vieja se ajaba con el sol' (The old clothes would wear out in the sun).
Notes on ajar in the Imperfect
'Ajar' is regular in the imperfect tense. All forms follow the standard -ar verb pattern.
Example Sentences
Cuando era niño, ajaba mis juguetes jugando mucho.
When I was a child, I used to wear out my toys playing a lot.
yo
Tú ajabas las cuerdas de la guitarra cada mes.
You used to wear out the guitar strings every month.
tú
El tejido se ajaba con el uso continuo.
The fabric would wear out with continuous use.
él/ella/usted
Ellos ajaban las puntas de sus lanzas en las batallas.
They wore out the tips of their spears in battles.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite ('ajó') instead of the imperfect ('ajaba') for ongoing or habitual past actions.
Correct: Use the imperfect 'ajaba' for descriptions or repeated actions in the past: 'El sol ajaba la tela' (The sun would wear out the fabric).
Why: The imperfect describes continuous or habitual actions, setting the background, while the preterite describes completed actions.
Mistake: Confusing the endings, e.g., using '-aba' for 'vosotros'.
Correct: The correct ending for 'vosotros' in the imperfect is '-abais': 'ajabais'.
Why: Each pronoun has a specific ending for each tense.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: ajo
The present tense of 'ajar' is regular: ajo, ajas, aja, ajamos, ajáis, ajan.
Preterite
yo: ajé
The preterite of 'ajar' is regular: ajé, ajaste, ajó, ajamos, ajasteis, ajaron.
Future
yo: ajaré
The future tense of 'ajar' is regular, using the infinitive stem: ajaré, ajarás, ajara, ajaremos, ajaréis, ajarán.
Conditional
yo: ajaría
The conditional of 'ajar' is regular: ajaría, ajarías, ajaría, ajaríamos, ajaríais, ajarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: aje
The present subjunctive of 'ajar' is: aje (yo, él/ella/usted), ajes (tú), ajemos (nosotros), ajéis (vosotros), ajen (ellos/ellas/ustedes).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: ajara
The imperfect subjunctive of 'ajar' has two forms for each person: -ra (ajara, ajaras, ajara, ajáramos, ajarais, ajaran) and -se (ajase, ajases, ajase, ajásemos, ajaseis, ajasen).
Affirmative Imperative
yo: aja
Imperative commands for 'ajar' are: aja (tú), aje (usted), ajemos (nosotros), ajad (vosotros), ajen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no ajes
Negative commands for 'ajar' use 'no' + present subjunctive: no ajes (tú), no aje (usted), no ajemos (nosotros), no ajéis (vosotros), no ajen (ustedes).