derrumbar Imperfect Conjugation
derrumbar — to knock down
The imperfect of derrumbar is regular: derrumbaba, derrumbabas, derrumbaba, derrumbábamos, derrumbabais, derrumbaban.
derrumbar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect for ongoing actions in the past, habitual actions, or descriptions. For 'derrumbar', it's like saying 'He used to knock down trees every year' or 'The building was collapsing'.
Notes on derrumbar in the Imperfect
Derrumbar is regular in the imperfect tense.
Example Sentences
Cuando era niño, derrumbaba fuertes de arena.
When I was a child, I used to knock down sandcastles.
yo
¿Tú derrumbabas las estructuras viejas?
Were you knocking down the old structures?
tú
La tormenta hacía que el edificio se derrumbara.
The storm was causing the building to collapse.
él/ella/usted
Ellos derrumbaban el muro poco a poco.
They were knocking down the wall little by little.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect for ongoing or habitual past actions.
Correct: Use 'Yo derrumbaba torres de bloques' (imperfect) for a repeated action, not 'Yo derrumbé torres de bloques' (preterite) which implies a single event.
Why: The imperfect describes the background or continuity of past actions, while the preterite focuses on completed events.
Mistake: Confusing the nosotros imperfect form.
Correct: The correct form is 'derrumbébamos', not 'derumbabamos'.
Why: The accent on the 'a' is crucial for correct pronunciation and spelling.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: derrumbo
The present tense of derrumbar is regular: derrumbo, derrumbas, derrumba, derrumbamos, derrumbáis, derrumban.
Preterite
yo: derrumbé
The preterite of derrumbar is regular: derrumbé, derrumbaste, derrumbó, derrumbamos, derrumbasteis, derrumbaron.
Future
yo: derrumbaré
The future tense of derrumbar is regular: derrumbaré, derrumbarás, derrumbará, derrumbaremos, derrumbaréis, derrumbarán.
Conditional
yo: derrumbaría
The conditional of derrumbar is regular: derrumbaría, derrumbarías, derrumbaría, derrumbaríamos, derrumbaríais, derrumbarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: derrumbe
The present subjunctive, like 'derrumbe' or 'derumbes', expresses wishes, doubts, or emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: derrumbara
The imperfect subjunctive, like 'derrumbaras' or 'derrumbaramos', is used for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: derrumba
Use imperative forms like 'derrumbe' and 'derrumbe' for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no derrumbes
Negative commands like 'no derrumbes' and 'no derrumben' use the present subjunctive with 'no'.