colaborar Imperfect Conjugation
colaborar — to collaborate
The imperfect of colaborar describes past habits or ongoing actions: colaboraba, colaborábamos, colaboraban.
colaborar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of 'colaborar' to describe past actions that were habitual, ongoing, or set the scene. Think of it as the background description or the 'what used to happen' tense.
Notes on colaborar in the Imperfect
Colaborar is regular in the imperfect tense. The 'nosotros' form 'colaborábamos' is unique to this tense.
Example Sentences
Cuando era joven, colaboraba en la biblioteca del barrio.
When I was young, I used to collaborate at the neighborhood library.
yo
¿Tú colaborabas con ese equipo antes?
Did you used to collaborate with that team before?
tú
Ella siempre colaboraba en las tareas difíciles.
She always collaborated on the difficult tasks.
él/ella/usted
Ellos colaboraban en secreto durante la crisis.
They were collaborating in secret during the crisis.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect for a habitual past action: 'Yo colaboré con ellos cada semana'.
Correct: Use the imperfect for habits: 'Yo colaboraba con ellos cada semana'.
Why: The imperfect describes repeated or ongoing actions in the past, whereas the preterite describes completed, single events.
Mistake: Confusing the imperfect and preterite for 'nosotros': 'Ayer nosotros colaborábamos'.
Correct: If the action was completed yesterday, use preterite: 'Ayer nosotros colaboramos'. If it was ongoing or habitual, use imperfect: 'Antes nosotros colaborábamos'.
Why: While the forms differ ('colaboramos' vs 'colaborábamos'), understanding the nuance between completed action and ongoing/habitual action is key.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'colaborar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: colaboro
The present tense of colaborar is regular: colaboro, colaboras, colabora, colaboramos, colaboráis, colaboran.
Preterite
yo: colaboré
The preterite of colaborar is regular: colaboré, colaboraste, colaboró, colaboramos, colaborasteis, colaboraron.
Future
yo: colaboraré
The future tense of colaborar is regular: colaboraré, colaborarás, colaborará, colaboraremos, colaboraréis, colaborarán.
Conditional
yo: colaboraría
The conditional of colaborar is regular: colaboraría, colaborarías, colaboraría, colaboraríamos, colaboraríais, colaborarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: colabore
The present subjunctive of colaborar is used for wishes, doubts, and emotions: colabore, colaboremos, colaboren.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: colaborara
The imperfect subjunctive of colaborar expresses past hypotheticals or wishes: colaborara, colaboraras, colaborase.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: colabora
Use the imperative of colaborar for direct commands: colabora, colaboremos, colaboren, etc.
Negative Imperative
yo: no colabores
Negative commands use 'no' plus the present subjunctive: no colabores, no colaboremos, no colaboren.