bombardear Imperfect Conjugation
bombardear — to bomb
Use imperfect like 'bombardeaba' for ongoing or habitual past actions.
bombardear Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
The imperfect tense describes actions that were happening over a period of time in the past, or things that happened repeatedly. For instance, 'Cuando era niño, bombardearon mi pueblo' (When I was a child, they bombed my town – implying it happened multiple times or was an ongoing situation during that period). It sets the scene.
Notes on bombardear in the Imperfect
Bombardear is regular in the imperfect indicative. The forms are standard for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
El avión bombardea cada noche.
The plane bombed every night.
él/ella/usted
Mientras ellos luchaban, el enemigo nos bombardeaba.
While they were fighting, the enemy was bombing us.
él/ella/usted
Yo bombardeaba a los objetivos con precisión.
I used to bomb the targets with precision.
yo
Ellos bombardeaban la ciudad desde la distancia.
They were bombing the city from a distance.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single, completed action in the past.
Correct: For a specific, finished event, use the preterite (e.g., 'bombardeó').
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, not punctual ones.
Mistake: Confusing imperfect and preterite.
Correct: Remember: imperfect ('bombardeaba') for descriptions/ongoing past, preterite ('bombardeó') for completed past actions.
Why: This is a fundamental distinction between the two past tenses.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: bombardeo
Use present like 'bombardeo' for actions happening now or habitual actions.
Preterite
yo: bombardeé
Use preterite like 'bombardeé' for completed actions, e.g., 'bombardeamos la fortaleza'.
Future
yo: bombardearé
Use future like 'bombardearé' for actions that will happen or to express probability.
Conditional
yo: bombardearía
Use conditional like 'bombardearía' for hypotheticals ('would bomb') or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: bombardee
Use present subjunctive like 'bombardee' after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: bombardeara
Use imperfect subjunctive like 'bombeara' or 'bombearase' for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: bombardea
Use imperative forms like 'bombardea' (tú) for direct commands, remembering 'bombardead' for vosotros.
Negative Imperative
yo: no bombardees
Form negative commands using 'no' plus the present subjunctive, like 'no bombees' (tú).