amar Imperfect Conjugation
amar — to love
The imperfect of amar follows the regular -aba pattern: amaba, amabas, amaba, amábamos, amabais, amaban.
amar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe an ongoing state of love in the past or a habitual feeling where the specific start and end dates aren't the focus.
Notes on amar in the Imperfect
Amar is fully regular in the imperfect. Remember the accent on the 'a' in the nosotros form: amábamos.
Example Sentences
Cuando era niño, amaba jugar en el parque.
When I was a child, I loved playing in the park.
yo
Mis abuelos se amaban mucho.
My grandparents loved each other very much.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nosotros amábamos las vacaciones en la montaña.
We used to love vacations in the mountains.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: amabamos
Correct: amábamos
Why: The nosotros form of all -ar verbs in the imperfect must have an accent on the antepenultimate syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: amo
Amar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense: amo, amas, ama, amamos, amáis, aman.
Preterite
yo: amé
The preterite of amar is regular: amé, amaste, amó, amamos, amasteis, amaron.
Future
yo: amaré
The future of amar uses the infinitive as the stem: amaré, amarás, amará, amaremos, amaréis, amarán.
Conditional
yo: amaría
The conditional of amar adds -ía endings to the infinitive: amaría, amarías, amaría, amaríamos, amaríais, amarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: ame
The present subjunctive of amar swaps the -a for -e: ame, ames, ame, amemos, améis, amen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: amara
The imperfect subjunctive of amar uses the -ara endings: amara, amaras, amara, amáramos, amarais, amaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: ama
The imperative of amar gives commands or advice: ama, ame, amemos, amad, amen.
Negative Imperative
yo: no ames
The negative imperative of amar uses the present subjunctive: no ames, no ame, no amemos, no améis, no amen.