cometer Imperfect Conjugation
cometer — to commit
The imperfect of cometer (cometía, cometías, etc.) describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
cometer Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense of 'cometer' to describe actions that were happening regularly or continuously in the past, or to set the scene. It answers 'what used to happen?' or 'what was happening?'.
Notes on cometer in the Imperfect
'Cometer' is a regular -er verb in the imperfect indicative. The stem 'comet-' is used with the standard imperfect endings: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían.
Example Sentences
Yo cometía errores porque era muy joven.
I used to make mistakes because I was very young.
yo
¿Tú cometías muchas faltas en el colegio?
Did you used to commit many offenses at school?
tú
Él cometía el error de interrumpir siempre.
He used to make the mistake of always interrupting.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros cometíamos el mismo fallo cada semana.
We made the same mistake every week.
nosotros
Ellos cometían actos de bondad sin que nadie lo supiera.
They used to do acts of kindness without anyone knowing.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single, completed past action.
Correct: For a one-time completed action in the past, use the preterite: 'Cometí un error' (I made a mistake).
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, not completed ones.
Mistake: Confusing 'cometíamos' (nosotros imperfect) with 'cometimos' (nosotros preterite).
Correct: Remember the '-ía' ending for the imperfect nosotros form: 'cometíamos'.
Why: The vowel change can be a common point of confusion between the two tenses for the 'nosotros' form.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: cometo
The present tense of cometer (cometo, cometes, comete, etc.) describes current or habitual actions.
Preterite
yo: cometí
The preterite of cometer (cometí, cometiste, etc.) indicates completed past actions.
Future
yo: cometeré
The future tense of cometer (cometeré, cometerás, etc.) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: cometería
The conditional of cometer (cometería, cometerías, etc.) expresses hypotheticals ('would commit').
Present Subjunctive
yo: cometa
The present subjunctive of cometer (cometa, cometas, etc.) is used for wishes, doubts, emotions, and uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: cometiera
The imperfect subjunctive of cometer (e.g., cometiera, cometieras) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: comete
Comete (tú), cometa (usted), cometamos (nosotros), cometan (ustedes), cometid (vosotros) are the affirmative commands for cometer.
Negative Imperative
yo: no cometas
No cometas (tú), no cometa (usted), no cometamos (nosotros), no cometan (ustedes), no cometáis (vosotros) are the negative commands for cometer.