calentar Imperfect Conjugation
calentar — to heat up
Calentar is regular in the imperfect, using the standard -aba endings: calentaba, calentabas, calentaba...
calentar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use this for ongoing past actions or habits, like describing how you used to warm up for gym class or if the sun was heating the room while you were reading.
Notes on calentar in the Imperfect
This tense is completely regular. No stem changes occur here.
Example Sentences
Antes siempre calentábamos antes de correr.
Before, we always used to warm up before running.
nosotros
El horno calentaba la cocina entera.
The oven was heating the whole kitchen.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: calentabamos (without accent)
Correct: calentábamos
Why: The 'nosotros' form of the imperfect for -ar verbs always requires an accent on the first 'a' of the ending.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: caliento
Calentar has a stem change (e to ie) in all forms except nosotros and vosotros: caliento, calientas, calienta, calientan.
Preterite
yo: calenté
Calentar is completely regular in the preterite: calenté, calentaste, calentó, calentamos, calentasteis, calentaron.
Future
yo: calentaré
The future of calentar is regular: add the endings -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án to the full infinitive.
Conditional
yo: calentaría
The conditional of calentar is regular: calentar +ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: caliente
The present subjunctive follows the 'ie' stem change: caliente, calientes, caliente, calentemos, calentéis, calienten.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: calentara
The imperfect subjunctive is regular based on the preterite: calentara, calentaras, calentara, calentáramos...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: calienta
The commands use the 'ie' stem change except for vosotros: calienta (tú), caliente (usted), calentad (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no calientes
Negative commands use the present subjunctive forms: no calientes, no caliente, no calentemos...