atrever Imperfect Conjugation
atrever — to dare
The imperfect of atrever (atrevía, atrevías) describes habitual or ongoing past actions of daring, like 'Siempre me atrevía a más.' (I always dared to do more).
atrever Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense to describe past actions of daring that were habitual, ongoing, or set the background scene. It's for when you want to convey a sense of continuity or repetition in the past, rather than a single completed event.
Notes on atrever in the Imperfect
The imperfect tense of 'atrever' is regular for an -er verb. Remember that 'atrever' is reflexive, so you always need to include the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se).
Example Sentences
Cuando era joven, me atrevía a hacer locuras.
When I was young, I used to dare to do crazy things.
yo
¿Tú te atrevías a hablar con los extraños?
Did you often dare to speak with strangers?
tú
Ella se atrevía a escalar montañas sin miedo.
She dared to climb mountains without fear (habitually).
él/ella/usted
Nosotros nos atrevíamos a explorar cuevas oscuras.
We dared to explore dark caves (habitually).
nosotros
Ellos se atrevían a defender sus ideas.
They used to dare to defend their ideas.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single, completed act of daring.
Correct: For a specific past event, use the preterite: 'Me atreví.'
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual actions, while the preterite is for completed actions with a clear beginning and end.
Mistake: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun.
Correct: It should be 'Se atrevía,' not 'Atrevía.'
Why: 'Atreverse' is reflexive, and the imperfect tense requires the corresponding reflexive pronoun.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: me atrevo
The present tense of atrever (atrevo, atreves, etc.) is for habitual or current actions of daring, like 'Me atrevo a todo.' (I dare everything).
Preterite
yo: me atreví
The preterite of atrever (atreví, atreviste, etc.) describes completed past actions of daring, like 'Me atreví a saltar.' (I dared to jump).
Future
yo: me atreveré
The future tense of atrever (atreveré, atreverás) indicates future actions of daring, like 'Me atreveré a hacerlo.' (I will dare to do it).
Conditional
yo: me atrevería
The conditional of atrever (atrevería, atreverías) expresses hypothetical daring ('would dare') or polite suggestions, like 'Me atrevería a preguntar.' (I would dare to ask).
Present Subjunctive
yo: me atreva
The present subjunctive of atrever (atreva) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty, like 'Espero que te atrevas.' (I hope you dare).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: me atreviera
The imperfect subjunctive of atrever (atreviera/atreviera) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or politeness, like 'Si me atreviera...' (If I dared...).
Affirmative Imperative
yo: atrévete
Use the imperative of atrever for direct commands like '¡Atrévete!' (Dare!) or '¡Atrévanse!' (Dare!).
Negative Imperative
yo: no te atrevas
Use the negative imperative of atrever with 'no' and the present subjunctive, like '¡No te atrevas!' (Don't you dare!).