atener Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
atener — to abide by
The imperfect subjunctive uses the irregular 'atuv-' stem: me atuviera, te atuvieras, se atuviera...
atener Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
Use this for hypothetical situations or past requirements regarding abiding by rules, such as 'Si se atuviera a las reglas...' (If he stuck to the rules...).
Notes on atener in the Imperfect Subjunctive
It follows the irregular preterite stem 'atuv-'. The -ra endings are the most common in modern Spanish.
Example Sentences
Si te atuvieras a la dieta, verías resultados.
If you stuck to the diet, you would see results.
tú
Me gustaría que se atuvieran a lo que hablamos.
I would like them to abide by what we talked about.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Fue necesario que nos atuviéramos al presupuesto.
It was necessary that we stuck to the budget.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'ateniera' instead of 'atuviera'.
Correct: The correct stem is atuviera.
Why: Learners often try to use the infinitive stem, but this verb follows the irregular pattern of 'tener'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: me atengo
The present tense of atenerse is irregular and shoe-shaped: me atengo, te atienes, se atiene...
Preterite
yo: me atuve
The preterite of atenerse is highly irregular, using the 'atuv-' stem: me atuve, te atuviste, se atuvo...
Imperfect
yo: me atenía
The imperfect of atenerse is regular: me atenía, te atenías, se atenía...
Future
yo: me atendré
The future tense of atenerse uses the irregular stem 'atendr-': me atendré, te atendrás, se atendrá...
Conditional
yo: me atendría
The conditional of atenerse uses the 'atendr-' stem: me atendría, te atendrías, se atendría...
Present Subjunctive
yo: me atenga
The present subjunctive of atenerse uses the irregular 'g' stem: me atenga, te atengas, se atenga...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: atenme
The imperative of atenerse gives direct orders: atente, aténgase, atengámonos...
Negative Imperative
yo: no te atengas
The negative imperative uses 'no' + present subjunctive: no te atengas, no se atenga...