
corromper Imperfect Conjugation
corromper — to corrupt
The imperfect of corromper (corrompía) describes ongoing or habitual past actions of corrupting, or sets the background scene.
corromper Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe actions of corrupting that were happening over a period of time in the past, or things that used to happen regularly. It's also used to describe the background situation when another event occurred.
Notes on corromper in the Imperfect
Corromper is regular in the imperfect tense. All forms follow the standard -er verb conjugation pattern.
Example Sentences
Cuando era joven, corrompía las reglas a veces.
When I was young, I used to break the rules sometimes.
yo
El juez corrompía la ley por dinero.
The judge was corrupting the law for money.
él/ella/usted
¿Tú corrompías la información en esa época?
Were you corrupting the information back then?
tú
Ellos corrompían el sistema poco a poco.
They were corrupting the system little by little.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nosotros corrompíamos la competencia en cada partido.
We used to corrupt the competition in every game.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite 'corrompió' for an ongoing or habitual past action.
Correct: For ongoing or habitual past actions, use the imperfect: 'El juez corrompía la ley'.
Why: The imperfect describes continuous or repeated actions, while the preterite describes completed ones.
Mistake: Confusing 'corrompía' (yo/él/ella/usted) with 'corrompías' (tú).
Correct: Ensure you use the correct ending: 'yo corrompía', 'tú corrompías'.
Why: These are distinct forms of the imperfect indicative.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'corromper' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: corrompo
The present tense of corromper (corrompo) describes actions happening now, habitual actions, or general truths about corruption.
Preterite
yo: corrompí
The preterite of corromper is regular: corrompí, corrompiste, corrompió, corrompimos, corrompisteis, corrompieron.
Future
yo: corromperé
The future tense of corromper (corromperé) indicates actions that will happen or expresses probability about corrupting.
Conditional
yo: corrompería
The conditional of corromper (corrompería) expresses hypothetical outcomes ('would corrupt'), polite requests, or future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: corrompa
The present subjunctive of corromper (corrompa) is used for wishes, doubts, emotions, and after impersonal expressions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: corrompiera
The imperfect subjunctive of corromper (corrompiera/corrompiera) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or to describe ongoing past situations in dependent clauses.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: corrompe
The imperative of corromper uses specific commands: corrompe (tú), corrompa (usted), corrompamos (nosotros), corromped (vosotros), corrompan (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no corrompas
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: no corrompas (tú), no corrompa (usted), no corrompamos (nosotros), no corrompáis (vosotros), no corrompan (ustedes).