degradar Imperfect Conjugation
degradar — to demote
Ongoing or habitual past actions with 'degradar': degradaba, degradabas, degradaba, degradábamos, degradabais, degradaban.
degradar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, or to set the scene. For 'degradar,' it could describe a situation where something was consistently being demoted or degraded over time.
Notes on degradar in the Imperfect
'Degradar' is regular in the imperfect indicative. All -ar verbs follow the pattern: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban.
Example Sentences
Cuando era joven, él degradaba a sus empleados sin razón.
When he was young, he used to demote his employees without reason.
él/ella/usted
La señal se degradaba cada vez que llovía.
The signal used to degrade every time it rained.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros degradábamos los permisos de acceso cada mes.
We used to demote the access permissions every month.
nosotros
Tú siempre degradabas mi trabajo delante de otros.
You always used to belittle my work in front of others.
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single, completed past action.
Correct: For a single completed action, use the preterite (e.g., 'degradó').
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, while the preterite describes completed ones.
Mistake: Confusing 'degradábamos' (imperfect) with 'degradamos' (preterite/present).
Correct: Remember the '-aba' ending for the imperfect tense.
Why: The '-aba' ending clearly marks the imperfect tense for -ar verbs.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: degrado
Present actions with 'degradar': degrado, degradas, degrada, degradamos, degradáis, degradan.
Preterite
yo: degradé
Completed past actions with 'degradar': degradé, degradaste, degradó, degradamos, degradasteis, degradaron.
Future
yo: degradaré
Future actions with 'degradar': degradaré, degradarás, degradará, degradaremos, degradaréis, degradarán.
Conditional
yo: degradaría
Hypothetical actions with 'degradar': degradaría, degradarías, degradaría, degradaríamos, degradaríais, degradarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: degrade
Present subjunctive for 'degradar' (degrade, degrademos, degraden). Used for wishes, doubts, and emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: degradara
Past subjunctive for 'degradar' (e.g., degradara, degradaras, degradase). Used for hypothetical pasts or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: degrada
Direct commands with 'degradar': degrada (tú), degrade (usted), degrademos (nosotros), degraden (ustedes), degradad (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no degrades
Negative commands for 'degradar': no degrademos (nosotros), no degraden (ustedes), no degradéis (vosotros), no degrad(es) (tú), no degrade (usted).