ceder Imperfect Conjugation
ceder — to give up
The imperfect of ceder (cedía, cedías, etc.) describes ongoing, habitual, or background actions in the past.
ceder Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of 'ceder' to describe past situations where someone was habitually yielding, giving way, or giving something up. It sets the scene or describes background actions without a clear end point. For example, 'He used to give up easily' or 'The traffic was yielding'.
Notes on ceder in the Imperfect
Ceder is regular in the imperfect indicative tense. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for regular -er verbs.
Example Sentences
Yo siempre cedía mi asiento a los ancianos.
I always used to give up my seat to the elderly.
yo
¿Tú cedías tan fácilmente antes?
Did you used to give in so easily before?
tú
El conductor cedía el paso a los peatones.
The driver was yielding the way to the pedestrians.
él/ella/usted
Ellos cedían terreno en la negociación.
They were giving ground in the negotiation.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nosotros cedíamos parte de nuestras ganancias.
We used to give up part of our profits.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'cedía' for a single, completed past action.
Correct: Use the preterite 'cedí' for a specific past event, e.g., 'Cedí el paso ayer'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, while the preterite describes completed ones.
Mistake: Confusing 'cedían' (imperfect) with 'cedieron' (preterite).
Correct: Remember 'cedían' implies a continuous or repeated action in the past, while 'cedieron' is a completed action.
Why: These tenses have distinct functions for past events.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: cedo
The present tense of ceder (cedo, cedes, cede, cedemos, cedéis, ceden) describes habitual actions, general truths, or things happening now.
Preterite
yo: cedí
The preterite of ceder is regular: cedí, cediste, cedió, cedimos, cedisteis, cedieron.
Future
yo: cederé
The future tense of ceder (cederé, cederás, etc.) indicates actions that will happen or expresses probability.
Conditional
yo: cedería
The conditional of ceder (cedería, cederías, etc.) is used for hypotheticals, polite requests, and future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: ceda
The present subjunctive of ceder (ceda, cedas, etc.) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, and in negative commands.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: cediera
The imperfect subjunctive of ceder (cediera/cediese) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: cede
Use the imperative of ceder for direct commands: cede (tú), ceda (usted), cedamos (nosotros), ceded (vosotros), cedan (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no cedas
Negative commands for ceder use the present subjunctive: no cedas (tú), no ceda (usted), no cedamos (nosotros), no cedáis (vosotros), no cedan (ustedes).