cortejar Imperfect Conjugation
cortejar — to court
Use 'cortejaba' for ongoing or habitual courting in the past.
cortejar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
The imperfect tense describes actions that were happening over a period in the past, or were habitual. 'Cuando era joven, él cortejaba a muchas chicas.' (When he was young, he used to court many girls). It sets the scene or describes background actions.
Notes on cortejar in the Imperfect
Cortejar is regular in the imperfect indicative.
Example Sentences
Yo te cortejaba con regalos y cartas.
I used to court you with gifts and letters.
yo
Tú me cortejabas cuando éramos novios.
You courted me when we were boyfriend and girlfriend.
tú
Él cortejaba a su esposa todos los días.
He courted his wife every day.
él/ella/usted
Ellos nos cortejaban con promesas.
They used to court us with promises.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using imperfect for a single, completed courting event.
Correct: Use the preterite ('cortejó') for a specific, finished action.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, not single, completed events.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: cortejo
Use 'cortejo' for current or habitual courting.
Preterite
yo: cortejé
Use 'cortejó' for completed past actions of courting.
Future
yo: cortejaré
Use 'cortejará' for future courting actions or probability.
Conditional
yo: cortejaría
Use 'cortejaría' for hypothetical or polite courting scenarios.
Present Subjunctive
yo: corteje
Use 'corteje' for wishes, doubts, or emotions about someone courting.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: cortejara
Use 'cortejara' or 'cortejase' for past hypotheticals or wishes related to courting.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: corteja
Use 'corteja' (tú) and 'corteje' (usted) for direct commands when courting.
Negative Imperative
yo: no cortejes
Use 'no cortejes' (tú) and 'no corteje' (usted) for negative commands when courting.