caminar Imperfect Conjugation
caminar — to walk
Caminar is regular in the imperfect: caminaba, caminabas, caminaba, caminábamos, caminabais, caminaban.
caminar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe habitual walks you took in the past or to set the scene (e.g., 'I was walking when...') where the duration is more important than the completion.
Notes on caminar in the Imperfect
Caminar is completely regular in the imperfect. Note that the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms are identical (caminaba).
Example Sentences
De niño, yo caminaba a la escuela todos los días.
As a child, I used to walk to school every day.
yo
Caminábamos por la playa mientras el sol se ponía.
We were walking along the beach while the sun was setting.
nosotros
Ellos caminaban mucho cuando vivían en la ciudad.
They walked a lot when they lived in the city.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the nosotros form: caminabamos.
Correct: caminábamos
Why: All -ar verbs in the imperfect require a written accent on the 'á' in the nosotros form.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: camino
Caminar is a standard -ar verb in the present: camino, caminas, camina, caminamos, camináis, caminan.
Preterite
yo: caminé
Caminar is regular in the preterite: caminé, caminaste, caminó, caminamos, caminasteis, caminaron.
Future
yo: caminaré
Caminar is regular in the future: caminaré, caminarás, caminará, caminaremos, caminaréis, caminarán.
Conditional
yo: caminaría
Caminar is regular in the conditional: caminaría, caminarías, caminaría, caminaríamos, caminaríais, caminarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: camine
Caminar in the present subjunctive changes the 'a' to 'e': camine, camines, camine, caminemos, caminéis, caminen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: caminara
The imperfect subjunctive of caminar uses the -ra endings: caminara, caminaras, caminara, camináramos, caminarais, caminaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: camina
The affirmative imperative of caminar is: camina (tú), camine (usted), caminemos (nosotros), caminad (vosotros), caminen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no camines
The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive: no camines, no camine, no caminemos, no caminéis, no caminen.