alimentar Imperfect Conjugation
alimentar — to feed
The imperfect of alimentar follows the regular -aba pattern: alimentaba, alimentabas, alimentaba...
alimentar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to talk about how you used to feed a pet in the past or to describe an ongoing situation of providing food.
Notes on alimentar in the Imperfect
Alimentar is regular in the imperfect. Remember the accent mark on the 'nosotros' form: alimentábamos.
Example Sentences
De niño, yo alimentaba a los patos en el parque.
As a child, I used to feed the ducks in the park.
yo
Nosotros alimentábamos a los caballos cada mañana.
We used to feed the horses every morning.
nosotros
Mis abuelos alimentaban a toda la familia con su huerto.
My grandparents fed the whole family with their garden.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: alimentabamos
Correct: alimentábamos
Why: The 'nosotros' form of -ar verbs in the imperfect always requires an accent on the first 'a' of the ending.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: alimento
Alimentar is regular in the present: alimento, alimentas, alimenta, alimentamos, alimentáis, alimentan.
Preterite
yo: alimenté
Alimentar is regular in the preterite: alimenté, alimentaste, alimentó, alimentamos, alimentasteis, alimentaron.
Future
yo: alimentaré
The future of alimentar is formed by adding endings to the infinitive: alimentaré, alimentarás, alimentará...
Conditional
yo: alimentaría
The conditional of alimentar adds -ía endings to the infinitive: alimentaría, alimentarías, alimentaría...
Present Subjunctive
yo: alimente
The present subjunctive of alimentar uses -e endings: alimente, alimentes, alimente, alimentemos, alimentéis, alimenten.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: alimentara
The imperfect subjunctive of alimentar uses -ara endings: alimentara, alimentaras, alimentara, alimentáramos...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: alimenta
The imperative of alimentar gives direct orders: alimenta (tú), alimentad (vosotros), alimente (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no alimentes
The negative imperative of alimentar uses 'no' + present subjunctive forms: no alimentes, no alimente, etc.