concentrar Imperfect Conjugation
concentrar — to focus
The imperfect of concentrar (concentraba, concentrabas, etc.) describes past habits or ongoing actions.
concentrar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense of 'concentrar' to describe actions that were happening repeatedly or continuously in the past, or to set the scene. For example, 'When I was a child, I always focused too much on details' or 'He was focusing on the road when the accident happened'.
Notes on concentrar in the Imperfect
Concentrar is regular in the imperfect indicative. The endings are standard for -ar verbs in this tense.
Example Sentences
Yo me concentraba en mis deberes por la tarde.
I used to focus on my homework in the afternoon.
yo
¿Tú te concentrabas bien en la escuela?
Did you focus well in school?
tú
Ella se concentraba en su lectura cuando sonó el teléfono.
She was focusing on her reading when the phone rang.
él/ella/usted
Ellos se concentraban en el juego.
They were focusing on the game.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite 'concentró' instead of the imperfect 'concentraba'.
Correct: For ongoing or habitual past actions, use 'concentraba', 'concentrabas', etc.
Why: The imperfect describes background or continuous actions, while the preterite describes completed events.
Mistake: Confusing the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms.
Correct: Both are 'concentraba', but context clarifies who is focusing.
Why: This is a common feature of the imperfect tense for -ar verbs.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: concentro
The present tense of concentrar (concentro, concentras, concentra, etc.) describes current actions or habits.
Preterite
yo: concentré
The preterite of concentrar is regular: concentré, concentraste, concentró, concentramos, concentrasteis, concentraron.
Future
yo: concentraré
The future tense of concentrar (concentraré, concentrarás, etc.) expresses actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: concentraría
The conditional of concentrar (concentraría, concentrarías, etc.) expresses hypothetical actions ('would focus').
Present Subjunctive
yo: concentre
The present subjunctive of concentrar (concentre, concentres, concentremos, etc.) is used for wishes, doubts, and emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: concentrara
The imperfect subjunctive of concentrar (concentrara/concentrase) expresses past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: concentra
Use the imperative of concentrar for direct commands: ¡concentra, concentre, concentremos, concentrad, concentren!
Negative Imperative
yo: no concentres
Negative commands for concentrar use the present subjunctive: ¡no concentres, no concentre, no concentremos, no concentréis, no concentren!