amparar Imperfect Conjugation
amparar — to protect
Amparaba, amparabas, amparaba, amparábamos, amparabais, amparaban describe ongoing or habitual past protection with 'amparar'.
amparar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense for ongoing actions of protecting in the past, habitual actions of protection, or to describe the background setting for another past event. For example, 'When I was young, I always protected my little sister.'
Notes on amparar in the Imperfect
Amparar is regular in the imperfect indicative tense. The endings are standard for -ar verbs in this tense.
Example Sentences
Cuando era niño, yo amparaba a los animales del vecindario.
When I was a child, I protected the neighborhood animals.
yo
¿Tú amparabas a tu amigo cuando lo molestaban?
Did you protect your friend when they bothered him?
tú
El rey amparaba a los artistas en su corte.
The king protected the artists in his court.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros amparábamos las tradiciones antiguas.
We upheld the old traditions.
nosotros
Ellos amparaban a los más débiles.
They protected the weakest.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite 'amparó' for an ongoing or habitual past action.
Correct: Use 'amparaba' for ongoing past actions: 'Ella amparaba a los huérfanos todos los días.'
Why: The imperfect describes continuous or repeated actions, while the preterite describes completed, single events.
Mistake: Incorrect 'vosotros' form.
Correct: The correct form is 'amparabais', with an accent on the 'a'.
Why: Learners might forget the accent or use the wrong ending.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: amparo
Amparo, amparas, ampara, amparamos, amparáis, amparan describe current or habitual protection with 'amparar'.
Preterite
yo: amparé
Amparé, amparaste, amparó, amparamos, amparasteis, ampararon are the completed past actions for 'amparar'.
Future
yo: ampararé
Ampararé, ampararás, amparará, ampararemos, ampararéis, ampararán express future protection with 'amparar'.
Conditional
yo: ampararía
Ampararía, ampararías, ampararía, ampararíamos, ampararíais, ampararían express hypothetical protection with 'amparar'.
Present Subjunctive
yo: ampare
Ampare, ampares, amparemos, amparéis, amparen are the present subjunctive forms for 'amparar'.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: amparara
Amparara, amparas, amparáramos, ampararan are past subjunctive forms for 'amparar'.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: ampara
Ampara, ampare, amparemos, amparad, amparen are the commands for 'amparar'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no ampares
No ampares, no ampare, no amparemos, no amparéis, no amparen are negative commands for 'amparar'.