cantar Imperfect Conjugation
cantar — to sing
The imperfect of cantar follows the regular -aba pattern: cantaba, cantabas, cantaba, cantábamos, cantabais, cantaban.
cantar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to talk about singing habits in the past, like when you were a child, or to describe background singing that was happening when something else occurred.
Notes on cantar in the Imperfect
Cantar is regular in the imperfect. Note that the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms are identical, so context is key.
Example Sentences
De niño, yo cantaba en la escuela todos los días.
As a child, I used to sing at school every day.
yo
Ellos cantaban mientras nosotros cocinábamos.
They were singing while we were cooking.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nosotros cantábamos canciones populares en los viajes.
We used to sing popular songs on trips.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the nosotros form 'cantábamos'.
Correct: cantábamos
Why: All -ar verbs in the imperfect require an accent on the 'á' in the nosotros form.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: canto
Cantar is regular in the present: canto, cantas, canta, cantamos, cantáis, cantan.
Preterite
yo: canté
The preterite of cantar is regular: canté, cantaste, cantó, cantamos, cantasteis, cantaron.
Future
yo: cantaré
The future of cantar uses the infinitive as the stem: cantaré, cantarás, cantará, cantaremos, cantaréis, cantarán.
Conditional
yo: cantaría
The conditional of cantar is regular: cantaría, cantarías, cantaría, cantaríamos, cantaríais, cantarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: cante
The present subjunctive of cantar uses -e endings: cante, cantes, cante, cantemos, cantéis, canten.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: cantara
The imperfect subjunctive of cantar is based on the 'ellos' preterite: cantara, cantaras, cantara, cantáramos, cantarais, cantaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: canta
The imperative of cantar gives commands: canta (tú), cantad (vosotros), cante (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no cantes
The negative imperative of cantar uses the present subjunctive: no cantes, no cante, no cantemos, no cantéis, no canten.