arribar Imperfect Conjugation
arribar — to arrive
Arribaba, arribabas, arribaba, arribábamos, arribabais, arribaban are the imperfect forms of arribar.
arribar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of arribar to describe habitual arrivals in the past, ongoing arrivals, or to set the scene by stating that someone or something *used to* arrive or *was arriving* somewhere.
Notes on arribar in the Imperfect
Arribar is a regular -ar verb in the imperfect indicative, following the standard conjugation pattern.
Example Sentences
Yo arribaba a la oficina tarde cuando era estudiante.
I used to arrive late to the office when I was a student.
yo
¿Tú siempre arribabas a la misma hora?
Did you always arrive at the same time?
tú
El cartero arribaba a las 10 AM cada mañana.
The mailman arrived at 10 AM every morning.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros arribábamos a la playa al atardecer.
We used to arrive at the beach at sunset.
nosotros
Ellos arribaban al aeropuerto en un taxi ruidoso.
They were arriving at the airport in a noisy taxi.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'arribaba' for a single, completed arrival in the past.
Correct: Use the preterite: 'Arribé ayer' (I arrived yesterday), not 'Arribaba ayer'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, while the preterite is for completed actions.
Mistake: Confusing the nosotros imperfect 'arribábamos' with the present 'arribamos'.
Correct: Ensure context makes it clear if the arrival was habitual in the past ('arribábamos') or is happening now/habitually ('arribamos').
Why: The '-ba' ending clearly marks the imperfect tense, but learners can sometimes overlook it.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: arribo
Arribo, arribas, arriba, arribamos, arribáis, arriban are the present indicative forms of arribar.
Preterite
yo: arribé
The preterite of arribar is regular: arribé, arribaste, arribó, arribamos, arribasteis, arribaron.
Future
yo: arribaré
Arribaré, arribarás, arribará, arribaremos, arribaréis, arribarán are the future indicative forms of arribar.
Conditional
yo: arribaría
Arribaría, arribarías, arribaría, arribaríamos, arribaríais, arribarían are the conditional forms of arribar.
Present Subjunctive
yo: arribe
Arribe, arribes, arribe, arribemos, arribéis, arriben are the present subjunctive forms of arribar.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: arribara
Arribara, arribaras, arribara, arribáramos, arribarais, arribaran are the imperfect subjunctive forms of arribar.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: arriba
Arriba, arribe, arribemos, arribad, arriben are the imperative forms of arribar for commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no arribes
No arribes, no arribe, no arribemos, no arribéis, no arriben are the negative commands for arribar.