aniquilar Imperfect Conjugation
aniquilar — to annihilate
The imperfect of aniquilar is regular: aniquilaba, aniquilabas, aniquilaba, aniquilábamos, aniquilabais, aniquilaban.
aniquilar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of aniquilar to describe ongoing or habitual actions of annihilation in the past, or to set the scene. For example, 'The disease was annihilating the population,' or 'Every year, they annihilated the old crops.'
Notes on aniquilar in the Imperfect
Aniquilar is regular in the imperfect tense. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
El ejército aniquilaba a sus enemigos sin piedad.
The army annihilated its enemies without mercy.
él/ella/usted
Yo aniquilaba los problemas antes de que crecieran.
I used to annihilate problems before they grew.
yo
¿Tú aniquilabas las dudas de tus amigos?
Did you used to annihilate your friends' doubts?
tú
Ellos aniquilaban la vegetación con sus máquinas.
They were annihilating the vegetation with their machines.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nosotros aniquilábamos la competencia en cada torneo.
We used to annihilate the competition in every tournament.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect for ongoing or habitual past actions.
Correct: Use the imperfect for ongoing/habitual past actions: 'Aniquilaba la plaga' (It was annihilating the plague).
Why: The preterite is for completed actions, while the imperfect is for descriptions or repeated actions in the past.
Mistake: Confusing the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms, as they are identical ('aniquilaba').
Correct: Context usually clarifies who is performing the action.
Why: This is a common feature of the imperfect tense for -ar verbs.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: aniquilo
The present tense of aniquilar is regular: aniquilo, aniquilas, aniquila, aniquilamos, aniquiláis, aniquilan.
Preterite
yo: aniquilé
The preterite of aniquilar is regular: aniquilé, aniquilaste, aniquiló, aniquilamos, aniquilasteis, aniquilaron.
Future
yo: aniquilaré
The future tense of aniquilar is regular: aniquilaré, aniquilarás, aniquilará, aniquilaremos, aniquilaréis, aniquilarán.
Conditional
yo: aniquilaría
The conditional of aniquilar is regular: aniquilaría, aniquilarías, aniquilaría, aniquilaríamos, aniquilaríais, aniquilarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: aniquile
The present subjunctive of aniquilar (aniquile) is used for wishes, doubts, emotions, and impersonal expressions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: aniquilara
The imperfect subjunctive of aniquilar (aniquilara/aniquilase) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, and doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: aniquila
Imperative forms of aniquilar are commands: aniquila (tú), aniquile (usted), aniquilemos (nosotros), aniquilen (ustedes), aniquilad (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no aniquiles
Negative commands for aniquilar use the present subjunctive: no aniquiles (tú), no aniquile (usted), no aniquilemos (nosotros), no aniquilen (ustedes), no aniquiléis (vosotros).