desechar Imperfect Conjugation

When to Use the Imperfect

Use the imperfect tense for actions that were happening repeatedly or continuously in the past, or to set the scene. For 'desechar', think of habits like 'Cuando vivía allí, desechaba todo lo que no usaba.' (When I lived there, I used to throw away everything I didn't use).

Notes on desechar in the Imperfect

Desechar is regular in the imperfect indicative tense. The forms are consistent for all -ar verbs.

Example Sentences

• Yo desechaba las cartas antiguas.

  I used to throw away old letters.

  yo

• ¿Tú desechabas la comida caducada?

  Did you used to throw away the expired food?

  tú

• Él desechaba los folletos después de leerlos.

  He would throw away the brochures after reading them.

  él/ella/usted

• Nosotros desechábamos los juguetes rotos.

  We used to throw away broken toys.

  nosotros

• Ellos desechaban las revistas viejas.

  They used to throw away old magazines.

  ellos/ellas/ustedes

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect for a past habit.

  Correct: Use 'desechaba' or 'desechaban' to describe a repeated action in the past.

  Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, setting the background, while the preterite describes a single completed event.

• Mistake: Confusing the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms.

  Correct: Both 'desechaba' (yo) and 'desechaba' (él/ella/usted) are spelled identically, but context determines the meaning.

  Why: Spanish often relies on context or explicit pronouns to differentiate between 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' when the verb form is the same.

Related Tenses