defenderse Imperfect Conjugation
defenderse — to defend oneself
The imperfect of defenderse is regular: me defendía, te defendías, se defendía...
defenderse Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use this for ongoing defensive actions in the past, or to describe how you used to 'get by' in a certain skill or language habitually.
Notes on defenderse in the Imperfect
This tense is regular. All forms carry an accent on the 'í' of the ending.
Example Sentences
De niño, siempre me defendía de los abusones.
As a child, I always defended myself from bullies.
yo
Antes nos defendíamos mejor en francés.
Before, we used to get by better in French.
nosotros
Se defendían como podían en esa situación.
They were defending themselves as best they could in that situation.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Nos defendiamos.
Correct: Nos defendíamos.
Why: All forms of the imperfect for -er verbs require an accent on the 'i'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: me defiendo
The present of defenderse is stem-changing (e-ie) in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Preterite
yo: me defendí
The preterite of defenderse is completely regular, following standard -er endings.
Future
yo: me defenderé
The future of defenderse is regular: me defenderé, te defenderás, se defenderá...
Conditional
yo: me defendería
The conditional is regular: me defendería, te defenderías, se defendería...
Present Subjunctive
yo: me defienda
The present subjunctive keeps the e-ie stem change in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: me defendiera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'defendier-' stem: me defendiera, te defendieras...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: defiéndete
In the affirmative imperative, pronouns attach to the end: defiéndete, defiéndase.
Negative Imperative
yo: no te defiendas
The negative imperative uses 'no' + present subjunctive: no te defiendas.