antojarse Imperfect Conjugation

When to Use the Imperfect

Use the imperfect tense of 'antojarse' to describe desires or cravings that were ongoing in the past, or that happened repeatedly. It sets the scene or describes background feelings. For example, 'Cuando era niño, me antojaba mucho de dulces' (When I was a child, I really craved sweets) or 'Siempre se le antojaba algo diferente cada día' (He/She always felt like having something different each day).

Notes on antojarse in the Imperfect

'Antojarse' is a regular -ar verb in the imperfect indicative. The forms are standard: 'me antojaba', 'te antojabas', 'se antojaba', etc. Remember the common construction where the person is the indirect object and the thing craved is the subject.

Example Sentences

• De pequeña, me antojaba de helado casi todos los días.

  As a child, I craved ice cream almost every day.

  yo

• ¿Te antojaba de algo en particular cuando estabas enfermo?

  Did you feel like anything in particular when you were sick?

  tú

• Se le antojaba una caminata mientras todos querían descansar.

  He/She felt like a walk while everyone else wanted to rest.

  él/ella/usted

• Nos antojaba de jugar fútbol cada tarde después de la escuela.

  We felt like playing soccer every afternoon after school.

  nosotros

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect for habitual or ongoing past cravings.

  Correct: Use the imperfect ('me antojaba', 'se antojaba') for repeated or continuous desires in the past.

  Why: The imperfect describes habitual actions or states in the past, setting a background scene, while the preterite ('me antojé', 'se antojó') refers to a specific, completed instance of craving.

• Mistake: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun or the indirect object pronoun.

  Correct: Ensure the correct reflexive pronoun ('se') and indirect object pronoun ('me', 'te', 'le', etc.) are used: 'Me antojaba', 'Se le antojaba'.

  Why: The structure requires both the reflexive pronoun 'se' attached to the verb stem (implied in the conjugation) and the indirect object pronoun indicating who is experiencing the craving.

Related Tenses