aplastar Imperfect Conjugation
aplastar — to crush
The imperfect of aplastar (aplastaba, aplastabas, etc.) describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
aplastar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of 'aplastar' to describe actions that were happening repeatedly or continuously in the past, or to set the scene. For example, 'I used to crush cans every day' or 'The car was crushing the leaves'.
Notes on aplastar in the Imperfect
'Aplastaba' is regular in the imperfect tense. It follows the standard pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Cuando era niño, aplastaba botellas de plástico.
When I was a child, I used to crush plastic bottles.
yo
¿Tú aplastabas la masa mientras cocinaba?
Were you crushing the dough while I was cooking?
tú
El viejo molino aplastaba el grano.
The old mill was crushing the grain.
él/ella/usted
Ellos aplastaban los documentos sin leerlos.
They were crushing the documents without reading them.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single completed action.
Correct: Say 'Aplasté la lata' (I crushed the can - preterite) for a one-time event, not 'Aplastaba la lata'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual actions, not single, finished ones.
Mistake: Confusing the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms.
Correct: Both are 'aplastaba', but context makes it clear who is doing the crushing.
Why: Spanish often relies on context or explicit pronouns when the verb form is the same for multiple subjects.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: aplasto
The present tense of aplastar is regular: aplasto, aplastas, aplasta, aplastamos, aplastáis, aplastan.
Preterite
yo: aplasté
The preterite of aplastar is regular: aplasté, aplastaste, aplastó, aplastamos, aplastasteis, aplastaron.
Future
yo: aplastaré
The future of aplastar is regular: aplastaré, aplastarás, aplastará, aplastaremos, aplastaréis, aplastarán.
Conditional
yo: aplastaría
The conditional of aplastar is regular: aplastaría, aplastarías, aplastaría, aplastaríamos, aplastaríais, aplastarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: aplaste
The present subjunctive of aplastar (aplaște, aplastes, aplasten, etc.) expresses wishes, doubts, or emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: aplastara
The imperfect subjunctive of aplastar (aplastara, aplastaras, etc.) is for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: aplasta
Use aplasta, aplastad, aplasten, etc. for direct commands with aplastar.
Negative Imperative
yo: no aplastes
Use no aplastes, no aplastéis, no aplasten, etc. for negative commands with aplastar.