desayunar Imperfect Conjugation
desayunar — to eat breakfast
The imperfect of desayunar (desayunaba, desayunabas...) describes habitual or ongoing past breakfasts.
desayunar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe what you used to eat for breakfast regularly in the past, or to set the scene by saying what someone was eating. For example, 'Every morning I ate eggs' or 'He was eating breakfast when the phone rang'.
Notes on desayunar in the Imperfect
Desayunar is a regular -ar verb, and its imperfect indicative forms are regular. They follow the standard pattern for verbs ending in -ar.
Example Sentences
Cuando era niño, yo desayunaba cereales todos los días.
When I was a child, I used to eat cereal every day for breakfast.
yo
¿Tú desayunabas algo antes de ir a la escuela?
Did you used to eat anything before going to school?
tú
Ella desayunaba fruta mientras leía el periódico.
She was eating fruit while she read the newspaper.
él/ella/usted
Ellos desayunaban juntos cada mañana.
They used to have breakfast together every morning.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect for habits.
Correct: Use 'desayunaba' for past habits, not 'desayunó'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual actions in the past, while the preterite describes completed actions.
Mistake: Confusing the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms.
Correct: Both 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' use 'desayunaba'. Context tells them apart.
Why: This is a common feature of the imperfect tense for regular -ar verbs.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: desayuno
The present tense of desayunar (desayuno, desayunas...) describes habitual actions or things happening now.
Preterite
yo: desayuné
The preterite of desayunar (desayuné, desayunaste...) refers to a specific, completed breakfast in the past.
Future
yo: desayunaré
The future tense of desayunar (desayunaré, desayunarás...) is used for actions that will happen or to express probability.
Conditional
yo: desayunaría
The conditional of desayunar (desayunaría, desayunarías...) is used for hypotheticals, polite requests, or future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: desayune
Use the present subjunctive of desayunar (desayune, desayunes...) after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: desayunara
The imperfect subjunctive of desayunar (desayunara, desayunaras...) expresses hypothetical or uncertain past actions.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: desayuna
Use the imperative of desayunar for direct commands like '¡Desayuna!', '¡Desayunemos!', '¡Desayunen!'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no desayunes
Use negative commands like 'No desayunes' and 'No desayunen' to forbid an action.