descartar Imperfect Conjugation
descartar — to discard
Use imperfect forms like 'descartaba' for ongoing or habitual past actions.
descartar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
The imperfect tense of 'descartar' describes actions that were ongoing, habitual, or setting the scene in the past. It answers 'what used to happen?' or 'what was happening?'. For example, 'Cuando era joven, descartaba todas las cartas de amor' (When I was young, I used to discard all love letters) or 'El comité descartaba la propuesta cada semana' (The committee discarded the proposal every week - implying it was a regular occurrence).
Notes on descartar in the Imperfect
'Descartar' is a regular -ar verb, and its imperfect conjugation follows the standard pattern. All forms are regular.
Example Sentences
Yo descartaba esos folletos porque no me interesaban.
I used to discard those flyers because they didn't interest me.
yo
¿Tú descartabas las invitaciones que no querías?
Did you used to discard the invitations you didn't want?
tú
Ella descartaba las opciones menos probables al principio.
She would discard the less likely options at first.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros descartábamos las quejas sin darles mucha importancia.
We used to discard complaints without giving them much importance.
nosotros
Ellos descartaban las ideas que parecían extrañas.
They used to discard ideas that seemed strange.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect for habitual past actions, e.g., 'Yo descarté la basura todos los días'.
Correct: Use the imperfect for habitual past actions: 'Yo descartaba la basura todos los días'.
Why: The imperfect describes repeated or ongoing actions in the past, while the preterite describes single, completed events.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'nosotros' form, writing 'descartabamos' instead of 'descartábamos'.
Correct: The 'nosotros' form requires an accent: 'descartábamos'.
Why: The accent marks the stressed syllable, distinguishing it from other verb forms and indicating pronunciation.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: descarto
Use present forms like 'descarto' (I discard) for current or habitual actions.
Preterite
yo: descarté
Use preterite forms like 'descarté' (I discarded) for completed actions in the past.
Future
yo: descartaré
Use future forms like 'descartaré' (I will discard) for actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: descartaría
Use conditional forms like 'descartaría' (I would discard) for hypotheticals or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: descarte
Use present subjunctive forms like 'descarte' for wishes, doubts, and emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: descartara
Use imperfect subjunctive forms like 'descartara' or 'descartase' for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: descarta
Use imperative forms like 'descarta' (tú) and 'descarte' (usted) for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no descartes
Negative commands use 'no' plus the present subjunctive, like 'no descartes' (tú).