delatar Imperfect Conjugation

When to Use the Imperfect

Use the imperfect of 'delatar' to describe ongoing or habitual actions of reporting in the past, or to set the background scene. For example, 'Él delataba a sus compañeros cuando era joven.' (He used to report his classmates when he was young.) or 'La policía delataba la actividad ilegal.' (The police were reporting the illegal activity.)

Notes on delatar in the Imperfect

Delatar is regular in the imperfect tense, following the standard pattern for -ar verbs.

Example Sentences

• Yo delataba los secretos de mi hermano.

  I used to report my brother's secrets.

  yo

• ¿Tú delatabas a los que rompían las reglas?

  Did you used to report those who broke the rules?

  tú

• Él delataba a los espías sin dudar.

  He used to report the spies without hesitation.

  él/ella/usted

• Nosotros delatábamos los problemas desde el principio.

  We were reporting the problems from the beginning.

  nosotros

• Ellas delataban a los tramposos en el juego.

  They used to report the cheaters in the game.

  ellos/ellas/ustedes

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect for habitual past actions.

  Correct: For actions that happened repeatedly or were ongoing in the past, use the imperfect: 'Delataba' (He used to report), not 'Delató' (He reported - a single event).

  Why: The imperfect describes continuous or repeated actions in the past, setting the scene, while the preterite describes completed actions.

• Mistake: Confusing 'delataba' (yo/él/ella/usted) with other forms.

  Correct: Remember that 'delataba' is used for yo, él, ella, and usted.

  Why: This is a common pattern for -ar verbs in the imperfect, where yo, él, ella, and usted share the same form.

Related Tenses