atravesar Imperfect Conjugation
atravesar — to cross
Atravesar is regular in the imperfect: atravesaba, atravesabas, atravesaba, atravesábamos, atravesabais, atravesaban.
atravesar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe the process of crossing while something else happened, or to describe a recurring path you used to take.
Notes on atravesar in the Imperfect
As an -ar verb, it follows the standard -aba endings. There is no stem change in the imperfect.
Example Sentences
Atravesaba el bosque cuando empezó a llover.
I was crossing the forest when it started to rain.
yo
Antes, atravesábamos el río en barca.
Before, we used to cross the river by boat.
nosotros
Los peregrinos atravesaban el pueblo cada día.
The pilgrims used to cross the village every day.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Atravesabamos (without accent).
Correct: Atravesábamos.
Why: The nosotros form of the imperfect always requires an accent on the vowel before the 'b'.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'atravesar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: atravieso
Atravesar is a stem-changing verb where 'e' becomes 'ie' in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Preterite
yo: atravesé
Atravesar is regular in the preterite: atravesé, atravesaste, atravesó, atravesamos, atravesasteis, atravesaron.
Future
yo: atravesaré
The future of atravesar is regular: atravesaré, atravesarás, atravesará, atravesaremos, atravesaréis, atravesarán.
Conditional
yo: atravesaría
The conditional of atravesar is regular: atravesaría, atravesarías, atravesaría, atravesaríamos, atravesaríais, atravesarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: atraviese
The present subjunctive of atravesar follows the 'ie' stem change: atraviese, atravieses, atraviese, atravesemos, atraveséis, atraviesen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: atravesara
The imperfect subjunctive is regular based on the preterite: atravesara, atravesaras, atravesara, atravesáramos, atravesarais, atravesaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: atraviesa
The imperative uses 'atraviesa' (tú) and 'atraviese' (usted), following the stem change.
Negative Imperative
yo: no atravieses
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: no atravieses (tú), no atraviese (usted).