consistir Imperfect Conjugation
consistir — to consist of
The imperfect of consistir is consistía, consistías, consistía, consistíamos, consistíais, consistían.
consistir Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of 'consistir' to describe what something habitually consisted of in the past, or to set the scene by describing its composition as an ongoing state. For example, 'En esa época, la dieta consistía principalmente en vegetales' (At that time, the diet mainly consisted of vegetables) sets a past scene.
Notes on consistir in the Imperfect
Consistir is regular in the imperfect tense. It follows the standard pattern for -ir verbs.
Example Sentences
Antes, la dieta consistía en mucha fruta.
Before, the diet consisted of a lot of fruit.
él/ella/usted
Su trabajo consistía en atender al público.
His job consisted of serving the public.
él/ella/usted
Las clases consistían en lecciones teóricas y prácticas.
The classes consisted of theoretical and practical lessons.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Yo pensaba que el plan consistía en algo más simple.
I thought the plan consisted of something simpler.
yo
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite ('consistió') for a description or habit.
Correct: Use 'consistía' for descriptions or habitual compositions in the past.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing states or repeated actions, not completed ones.
Mistake: Confusing 'consistíamos' (imperfect) with 'consistimos' (present/preterite).
Correct: Pay attention to the double 'i' in 'consistíamos' to distinguish it from the present/preterite 'consistimos'.
Why: The spelling difference is crucial for meaning.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: consisto
Consistir is regular in the present tense: consisto, consistes, consiste, consistimos, consistís, consisten.
Preterite
yo: consistí
Consistir is regular in the preterite: consistí, consististe, consistió, consistimos, consististeis, consistieron.
Future
yo: consistiré
The future of consistir is regular: consistiré, consistirás, consistirá, consistiremos, consistiréis, consistirán.
Conditional
yo: consistiría
The conditional of consistir is consistiría, consistirías, consistiría, consistiríamos, consistiríais, consistirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: consista
The present subjunctive of consistir (consista) is used after expressions of doubt, emotion, or desire.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: consistiera
The imperfect subjunctive of consistir (consistiera/consistiese) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: consiste
Consiste is the affirmative tú command, while consista is usted/él/ella/ustedes, and consistid is vosotros.
Negative Imperative
yo: no consistas
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: no consistas (tú), no consista (usted), no consistamos (nosotros), no consistan (ustedes), no consistáis (vosotros).