barrer Imperfect Conjugation

When to Use the Imperfect

Use the imperfect of 'barrer' to describe ongoing actions in the past ('Mientras tú veías la tele, yo barría la cocina' - While you watched TV, I was sweeping the kitchen) or habitual actions in the past ('Cuando era niño, barría el camino a la escuela' - When I was a child, I used to sweep the path to school).

Notes on barrer in the Imperfect

Barrer is regular in the imperfect indicative. The endings are standard for regular -er verbs.

Example Sentences

• Yo barría el suelo todos los días en mi antigua casa.

  I swept the floor every day in my old house.

  yo

• ¿Tú barrías la entrada cuando sonó el teléfono?

  Were you sweeping the entrance when the phone rang?

  tú

• Él barría las hojas caídas del árbol.

  He was sweeping the fallen leaves from the tree.

  él/ella/usted

• Nosotros barríamos la terraza cada mañana.

  We used to sweep the terrace every morning.

  nosotros

• Ellos barrían la nieve de la acera.

  They were sweeping the snow from the sidewalk.

  ellos/ellas/ustedes

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect.

  Correct: Use 'barría' for ongoing/habitual past actions, not 'barrió'.

  Why: The imperfect describes the background or duration of past actions, while the preterite focuses on the completion of an action.

• Mistake: Confusing 'barríamos' (we were sweeping) with 'barreríamos' (we would sweep).

  Correct: Imperfect: 'barríamos'. Conditional: 'barreríamos'.

  Why: These are distinct tenses. The imperfect describes past actions, while the conditional describes hypothetical outcomes.

Related Tenses