balancear Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
balancear — to rock
The imperfect subjunctive of balancear (balanceara, balancearas, etc.) is used for past hypotheticals and wishes.
balancear Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
This tense is for hypothetical situations or wishes in the past. Think 'If I were able to rock the boat...' or 'I wish you would rock the cradle...'. It often appears in conditional sentences or after verbs expressing doubt or desire about past events.
Notes on balancear in the Imperfect Subjunctive
Balancear is regular in the imperfect subjunctive. Both -ra and -se endings are possible, but the -ra form (balanceara, balancearas, etc.) is more common and generally preferred.
Example Sentences
Si balanceara la mesa, se caería todo.
If I were to rock the table, everything would fall.
yo
Me gustaría que balancearas mi silla.
I would like you to rock my chair.
tú
Ojalá ellos balancearan el bote con más cuidado.
Hopefully, they would rock the boat more carefully.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Te pedí que no balancearas la lámpara.
I asked you not to rock the lamp.
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect subjunctive.
Correct: Use 'balanceara' or 'balancearais', not 'balanceó' or 'balanceasteis'.
Why: The imperfect subjunctive expresses hypothetical or unreal conditions, which the preterite cannot do.
Mistake: Confusing the -ra and -se forms.
Correct: While both exist (e.g., balanceara/balancease), the -ra form is more common.
Why: Learners might be unsure which ending to use or might incorrectly mix them.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'balancear' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: balanceo
The present tense of balancear (balanceo, balanceas, etc.) describes habitual or current rocking actions.
Preterite
yo: balanceé
The preterite of balancear (balanceé, balanceaste, etc.) describes completed actions of rocking in the past.
Imperfect
yo: balanceaba
The imperfect of balancear (balanceaba, balanceabas, etc.) describes habitual or ongoing past rocking actions.
Future
yo: balancearé
The future tense of balancear (balancearé, balancearás, etc.) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: balancearía
The conditional of balancear (balancearía, balancearías, etc.) expresses hypothetical actions ('would rock').
Present Subjunctive
yo: balancee
The present subjunctive of balancear (balancee, balancees, etc.) is used for wishes, doubts, and suggestions.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: balancea
Use imperative forms like 'balancea' (tú) and 'balancee' (usted) for direct commands with balancear.
Negative Imperative
yo: no balancees
Use 'no balancees' (tú) or 'no balancee' (usted) for negative commands with balancear.