apretar Imperfect Conjugation
apretar — to press
The imperfect of apretar is regular and uses the -aba endings: apretaba, apretabas, apretaba...
apretar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use this for ongoing past actions, like describing how shoes used to fit or a button you were repeatedly pressing.
Notes on apretar in the Imperfect
Apretar is fully regular in the imperfect. There are no stem changes here.
Example Sentences
Antes, esta chaqueta me apretaba un poco.
Before, this jacket used to be a bit tight on me.
él/ella/usted
Ellos apretaban el botón pero nada pasaba.
They were pressing the button but nothing was happening.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: aprietaba
Correct: apretaba
Why: Applying the 'ie' stem change where it doesn't belong.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: aprieto
Apretar is a stem-changing verb where the 'e' becomes 'ie' in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Preterite
yo: apreté
Apretar is completely regular in the preterite: apreté, apretaste, apretó, apretamos, apretasteis, apretaron.
Future
yo: apretaré
The future is regular: add -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án to the full infinitive 'apretar'.
Conditional
yo: apretaría
The conditional uses the infinitive plus -ía endings: apretaría, apretarías, apretaría...
Present Subjunctive
yo: apriete
The present subjunctive follows the e-ie stem change: apriete, aprietes, apriete, apretemos, apretéis, aprieten.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: apretara
Formed from the preterite 'ellos' form: apretara, apretaras, apretara, apretáramos, apretarais, apretaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: aprieta
Direct commands: aprieta (tú), apriete (usted), apretemos (nosotros), apretad (vosotros), aprieten (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no aprietes
Negative commands use 'no' + present subjunctive: no aprietes, no apriete, no apretemos, no apretéis, no aprieten.