constar Imperfect Conjugation
constar — to consist of
The imperfect of constar is regular: constaba, constabas, constaba, constábamos, constabais, constaban.
constar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of constar to describe what something consisted of in the past as an ongoing state or background information. For example, 'The committee used to consist of ten members.'
Notes on constar in the Imperfect
Constar is regular in the imperfect tense. All forms follow the standard conjugation pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
El comité constaba de diez miembros.
The committee consisted of ten members.
él/ella/usted
En esa época, la casa constaba de tres habitaciones.
At that time, the house consisted of three rooms.
él/ella/usted
Antes, nosotros constábamos de un solo departamento.
Before, we consisted of only one department.
nosotros
Los ingredientes que usaban constaban en la lista antigua.
The ingredients they used were on the old list.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite ('constó') instead of the imperfect ('constaba') for ongoing past descriptions.
Correct: Use 'constaba' to describe a state or composition that was ongoing or habitual in the past.
Why: The imperfect describes background, ongoing states, or repeated actions in the past, whereas the preterite describes completed events.
Mistake: Confusing 'constaba' with 'costaba' (from 'costar' - to cost).
Correct: 'Constaba' means 'consisted of', while 'costaba' means 'it cost'.
Why: These are homophones for many speakers and require careful attention to spelling and context.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: consto
The present indicative of constar is regular: consto, constas, consta, constamos, constáis, constan.
Preterite
yo: consté
The preterite of constar is regular: consté, constaste, constó, constamos, constasteis, constaron.
Future
yo: constaré
The future of constar is regular: constaré, constarás, constará, constaremos, constaréis, constarán.
Conditional
yo: constaría
The conditional of constar is regular: constaría, constarías, constaría, constaríamos, constaríais, constarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: conste
The present subjunctive of constar (conste, constes, constemos, consten) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: constara
The imperfect subjunctive of constar (constara/constase) is used for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: consta
The imperative of constar is mostly regular, with commands like 'consta' (tú) and 'constad' (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no constes
The negative imperative of constar uses the present subjunctive, e.g., 'no constes' (tú) and 'no consten' (ustedes).