
cocinar Imperfect Conjugation
cocinar — to cook
The imperfect of cocinar is regular: cocinaba, cocinabas, cocinaba, cocinábamos, cocinabais, cocinaban.
cocinar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe habitual cooking habits in the past or to set the scene (e.g., 'I was cooking when...'). It is perfect for talking about what your grandma used to cook.
Notes on cocinar in the Imperfect
Cocinar is fully regular in the imperfect. Remember that the 'yo' and 'él/ella' forms are identical (cocinaba).
Example Sentences
Mi abuela cocinaba paella todos los domingos.
My grandmother used to cook paella every Sunday.
él/ella/usted
Yo cocinaba mientras tú limpiabas la mesa.
I was cooking while you were cleaning the table.
yo
De niños, cocinábamos con nuestros padres.
As children, we used to cook with our parents.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: cocinabamos
Correct: cocinábamos
Why: The 'nosotros' form of -ar verbs in the imperfect always requires an accent on the first 'a' of the ending.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'cocinar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: cocino
The present of cocinar is regular: cocino, cocinas, cocina, cocinamos, cocináis, cocinan.
Preterite
yo: cociné
The preterite of cocinar is regular: cociné, cocinaste, cocinó, cocinamos, cocinasteis, cocinaron.
Future
yo: cocinaré
The future of cocinar is regular: cocinaré, cocinarás, cocinará, cocinaremos, cocinaréis, cocinarán.
Conditional
yo: cocinaría
The conditional of cocinar is regular: cocinaría, cocinarías, cocinaría, cocinaríamos, cocinaríais, cocinarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: cocine
The present subjunctive of cocinar is regular: cocine, cocines, cocine, cocinemos, cocinéis, cocinen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: cocinara
The imperfect subjunctive of cocinar is regular: cocinara, cocinaras, cocinara, cocináramos, cocinarais, cocinaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: cocina
The affirmative imperative of cocinar is: cocina (tú), cocine (usted), cocinemos (nosotros), cocinad (vosotros), cocinen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no cocines
The negative imperative of cocinar uses present subjunctive forms: no cocines, no cocine, no cocinemos, no cocinéis, no cocinen.