competir Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
competir — to compete
Based on the preterite 'compitieron', the stem is 'compitiera' for all forms.
competir Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
Use this for past-tense triggers of the subjunctive or in 'if' clauses (e.g., 'If I competed...').
Notes on competir in the Imperfect Subjunctive
It uses the 'compit-' stem derived from the third-person plural of the preterite.
Example Sentences
Si yo compitiera, ganaría.
If I competed, I would win.
yo
Me gustaría que ellos compitieran.
I would like them to compete.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Fue una pena que no compitiéramos.
It was a shame that we didn't compete.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: competiera
Correct: compitiera
Why: The imperfect subjunctive always follows the third-person plural preterite stem, which is 'compit-'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: compito
Competir is an e > i stem-changer in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Preterite
yo: competí
Competir has a third-person stem change (e > i) in the preterite: compitió and compitieron.
Imperfect
yo: competía
Competir is regular in the imperfect: competía, competías, competía, competíamos, competíais, competían.
Future
yo: competiré
Competir is regular in the future tense: competir + endings (é, ás, á, emos, éis, án).
Conditional
yo: competiría
Competir is regular in the conditional: competiría, competirías, competiría...
Present Subjunctive
yo: compita
Competir changes e > i in all forms of the present subjunctive (compita, compitamos).
Affirmative Imperative
yo: compite
Use 'compite' (tú) or 'compita' (usted) to command someone to compete.
Negative Imperative
yo: no compitas
Negative commands use the present subjunctive forms: no compitas, no compita.