cuidar Imperfect Conjugation
cuidar — to take care of
The imperfect of cuidar follows the regular -aba pattern: cuidaba, cuidabas, cuidaba, cuidábamos.
cuidar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe ongoing or habitual care in the past, such as 'I used to take care of my sister' or 'He was looking after the shop' (background action).
Notes on cuidar in the Imperfect
Cuidar is regular in the imperfect. Don't forget the written accent on the 'á' in the nosotros form: cuidábamos.
Example Sentences
De niño, yo cuidaba mucho mis juguetes.
As a child, I took great care of my toys.
yo
Nosotros cuidábamos a los caballos en la granja.
We used to take care of the horses on the farm.
nosotros
Vosotros cuidabais la casa todos los veranos.
You all used to look after the house every summer.
vosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: cuidía
Correct: cuidaba
Why: Cuidar is an -ar verb, so it uses the -aba endings, not the -ía endings used for -er/-ir verbs.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: cuido
The present tense of cuidar is regular: cuido, cuidas, cuida, cuidamos, cuidáis, cuidan.
Preterite
yo: cuidé
Cuidar is regular in the preterite: cuidé, cuidaste, cuidó, cuidamos, cuidasteis, cuidaron.
Future
yo: cuidaré
The future of cuidar uses the infinitive plus standard endings: cuidaré, cuidarás, cuidará.
Conditional
yo: cuidaría
The conditional of cuidar is regular: cuidaría, cuidarías, cuidaría, cuidaríamos, cuidaríais, cuidarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: cuide
The present subjunctive of cuidar uses -e endings: cuide, cuides, cuide, cuidemos, cuidéis, cuiden.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: cuidara
The imperfect subjunctive of cuidar uses the preterite stem: cuidara, cuidaras, cuidara, cuidáramos.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: cuida
The imperative of cuidar provides direct commands: cuida (tú), cuidad (vosotros), cuide (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no cuides
The negative imperative of cuidar uses 'no' plus the present subjunctive: no cuides, no cuide.