decapitar Imperfect Conjugation
decapitar — to behead
The imperfect tense of decapitar is regular: decapitaba, decapitabas, decapitaba, decapitábamos, decapitabais, decapitaban.
decapitar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense to describe ongoing actions in the past, habitual actions, or background settings. For decapitar, imagine describing a historical scene or a recurring event in a story where beheading was common.
Notes on decapitar in the Imperfect
Decapitar is regular in the imperfect tense. The stem remains 'decapita-' and the endings are '-ba', '-bas', '-ba', '-bamos', '-bais', '-ban'.
Example Sentences
Cuando era niño, yo decapitaba las flores del jardín de mi abuela.
When I was a child, I used to behead the flowers in my grandmother's garden.
yo
En esa época, los soldados decapitaban a los enemigos capturados.
In that era, soldiers used to behead captured enemies.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Tú decapitabas las zanahorias para la cena cada noche.
You used to behead the carrots for dinner every night.
tú
Ella decapitaba las hierbas aromáticas para hacer té.
She used to behead the aromatic herbs to make tea.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single, completed past action.
Correct: For a specific event that finished, use the preterite: 'Ayer decapitó' (Yesterday he beheaded), not 'Ayer decapitaba'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, while the preterite marks completed ones.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: decapito
The present tense of decapitar is regular: decapito, decapitas, decapita, decapitamos, decapitáis, decapitan.
Preterite
yo: decapité
The preterite of decapitar is regular: decapité, decapitaste, decapitó, decapitamos, decapitasteis, decapitaron.
Future
yo: decapitaré
The future tense of decapitar is regular: decapitaré, decapitarás, decapitará, decapitaremos, decapitaréis, decapitarán.
Conditional
yo: decapitaría
The conditional of decapitar is regular: decapitaría, decapitarías, decapitaría, decapitaríamos, decapitaríais, decapitarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: decapite
The present subjunctive of decapitar (decapite, decapites, decapitemos, decapiten) is used for wishes, doubts, emotions, and uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: decapitara
The imperfect subjunctive of decapitar (e.g., decapitara, decapitáramos) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: decapita
Decapita (tú), decapite (usted), decapitemos (nosotros), decapiten (ustedes), decapitad (vosotros) are the imperative forms for decapitar.
Negative Imperative
yo: no decapites
Negative commands for decapitar use the present subjunctive with 'no': no decapites (tú), no decapite (usted), no decapitemos (nosotros), no decapiten (ustedes), no decapitéis (vosotros).