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calcular Imperfect Conjugation

calcularto calculate

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Quick answer:

Past habits/descriptions: calculaba, calculabas, calculaba, calculábamos, calculabais, calculaban.

calcular Imperfect Forms

yocalculaba
calculabas
él/ella/ustedcalculaba
nosotroscalculábamos
vosotroscalculabais
ellos/ellas/ustedescalculaban

When to Use the Imperfect

Use the imperfect tense for ongoing actions in the past, habitual actions, or descriptions. For 'calcular,' it could be 'I used to calculate the budget every month' or 'He was calculating the distance when the phone rang.'

Notes on calcular in the Imperfect

Calcular is regular in the imperfect tense.

Example Sentences

  • Yo calculaba las distancias cuando era niño.

    I used to calculate the distances when I was a child.

    yo

  • Tú calculabas las probabilidades en el juego.

    You used to calculate the probabilities in the game.

  • Ella calculaba todo mentalmente.

    She used to calculate everything mentally.

    él/ella/usted

  • Calculábamos el tiempo de viaje cada mañana.

    We used to calculate the travel time every morning.

    nosotros

Common Mistakes

  • Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single, completed past action.

    Correct: For 'I calculated it yesterday,' use the preterite: 'Calculé.'

    Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, not finished events.

  • Mistake: Confusing imperfect with preterite when describing past actions.

    Correct: Use imperfect ('calculaba') for background or repeated actions, preterite ('calculó') for a specific finished action.

    Why: These tenses have distinct uses for describing the past.

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Related Tenses