controlar Imperfect Conjugation

When to Use the Imperfect

Use the imperfect to describe an ongoing state of control in the past or a habitual way someone used to manage things, like 'He used to control everything in the office.'

Notes on controlar in the Imperfect

Controlar is regular in the imperfect. Remember that the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms are identical (controlaba).

Example Sentences

• Antes, mi padre controlaba todo el dinero.

  Before, my father used to control all the money.

  él/ella/usted

• Nosotros controlábamos el tráfico cada mañana.

  We used to control the traffic every morning.

  nosotros

• Tú controlabas el volumen de la música.

  You were controlling the music volume.

  tú

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the nosotros form.

  Correct: controlábamos

  Why: All -ar verbs in the imperfect require an accent on the 'á' in the nosotros form.

Related Tenses