compartir Imperfect Conjugation
compartir — to share
Use 'compartía', 'compartías', 'compartía' for ongoing or habitual past actions.
compartir Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
The imperfect tense describes ongoing actions in the past, habitual actions, or sets the scene. Think of it as telling the background story: 'Cuando era niño, yo compartía mis juguetes con todos' means 'When I was a child, I used to share my toys with everyone.' It doesn't focus on completion.
Notes on compartir in the Imperfect
Compartir is regular in the imperfect indicative. The endings are standard for -ir verbs: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían.
Example Sentences
Ella compartía su merienda con sus amigos todos los días.
She used to share her snack with her friends every day.
Tú compartías tus secretos conmigo en ese entonces.
You used to share your secrets with me back then.
tú
Nosotros compartíamos ideas en clase.
We used to share ideas in class.
nosotros
Ellos compartían un coche porque vivían lejos.
They shared a car because they lived far away.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single, completed past action.
Correct: For a specific, finished action in the past, use the preterite (e.g., 'compartí'). The imperfect ('compartía') is for ongoing or repeated actions.
Why: Spanish has two main past tenses to distinguish between completed actions and ongoing/descriptive past situations.
Mistake: Confusing imperfect 'compartíamos' with present 'compartimos'.
Correct: The imperfect 'compartíamos' refers to past habits or ongoing actions, while 'compartimos' is present tense.
Why: Context and time markers (like 'ayer' or 'siempre') help differentiate.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: comparto
Use 'comparto', 'compartes', 'comparte' for current, habitual, or general truths.
Preterite
yo: compartí
Completed past actions use the preterite: 'compartí', 'compartiste', 'compartió'.
Future
yo: compartiré
Future actions use the regular future tense: 'compartiré', 'compartirás', 'compartirá', etc.
Conditional
yo: compartiría
Use conditional for 'would' actions: 'compartiría', 'compartirías', 'compartiría'.
Present Subjunctive
yo: comparta
Use for wishes, doubts, or emotions, like 'Espero que compartas' (I hope you share).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: compartiera
Used for past hypotheticals or wishes, like 'si yo compartiera' (if I shared) or 'ojalá compartiera' (I wish he/she shared).
Affirmative Imperative
yo: comparte
Use imperative forms like 'comparte' (tú) and 'compartan' (ustedes) for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no compartas
Negative commands use the present subjunctive, like 'no compartas' (tú) or 'no compartan' (ustedes).