aparentar Imperfect Conjugation
aparentar — to look
Use 'aparentaba', 'aparentabas', 'aparentaba', 'aparentábamos', 'aparentabais', 'aparentaban' for ongoing or habitual past actions.
aparentar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
The imperfect tense of 'aparentar' describes how someone or something *used to* seem, or how they *were seeming* over a period of time in the past. It sets the background scene. For example, 'Cuando era joven, aparentaba ser más maduro' (When I was young, I seemed more mature) or 'La casa aparentaba estar abandonada' (The house looked abandoned).
Notes on aparentar in the Imperfect
Aparentar is regular in the imperfect indicative tense. All forms follow the standard -ar verb pattern for this tense.
Example Sentences
Yo aparentaba ser más valiente de lo que era.
I seemed braver than I was.
yo
¿Tú aparentabas entender la lección?
Did you seem to understand the lesson?
tú
El edificio aparentaba ser más grande desde lejos.
The building looked bigger from afar.
él/ella/usted
Ellos aparentaban estar contentos, pero no lo estaban.
They seemed happy, but they weren't.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite 'aparentó' instead of the imperfect 'aparentaba'.
Correct: For background description like 'He seemed sad', use 'aparentaba', not 'aparentó'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual states, while the preterite describes a single, completed action.
Mistake: Using the wrong vowel in the stem (e.g., 'aparenteba').
Correct: The imperfect endings for -ar verbs always use '-aba'. So, it's 'aparentaba', not 'aparenteba'.
Why: This is a common phonetic error for learners.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: aparento
Use 'aparento', 'aparentas', 'aparenta', 'aparentamos', 'aparentáis', 'aparentan' for actions happening now, habitual actions, or general truths.
Preterite
yo: aparenté
The preterite of aparentar is regular: aparenté, aparentaste, aparentó, aparentamos, aparentasteis, aparentaron.
Future
yo: aparentaré
The future of aparentar is regular: aparentaré, aparentarás, aparentará, aparentaremos, aparentaréis, aparentarán.
Conditional
yo: aparentaría
Use 'aparentaría', 'aparentarías', 'aparentaría', 'aparentaríamos', 'aparentaríais', 'aparentarían' for hypothetical 'would' statements or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: aparente
Use 'aparente' (yo/él/ella/usted), 'aparentes' (tú), 'aparentemos' (nosotros), 'aparentéis' (vosotros), 'aparenten' (ellos/ellas/ustedes) after expressions of doubt, emotion, or desire.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: aparentara
Use 'aparentara' or 'aparentase' for hypothetical or past subjunctive situations.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: aparenta
Use 'aparenta' for tú commands, 'aparente' for usted/ustedes, 'aparentad' for vosotros, and 'aparentemos' for nosotros.
Negative Imperative
yo: no aparentes
Use 'no aparentes' for tú, 'no aparente' for usted/ustedes, 'no aparentéis' for vosotros, and 'no aparentemos' for nosotros.