Inklingo
A piece of colorful fabric being pulled apart and ripping in the center.

desgarrar Imperfect Conjugation

desgarrarto tear

B1regular -ar★★★
Quick answer:

The imperfect of desgarrar is regular: desgarraba, desgarrabas, desgarraba, desgarrábamos, desgarrabais, desgarraban.

desgarrar Imperfect Forms

yodesgarraba
desgarrabas
él/ella/usteddesgarraba
nosotrosdesgarrábamos
vosotrosdesgarrabais
ellos/ellas/ustedesdesgarraban

When to Use the Imperfect

Use the imperfect for ongoing actions in the past, habitual actions in the past, or to describe background settings. For example, 'The wind was tearing the leaves off the trees' or 'He used to tear pages from his notebook.'

Notes on desgarrar in the Imperfect

Desgarrar is a regular -ar verb, so its imperfect conjugations are formed by adding the standard '-aba' endings to the stem 'desgarr-'.

Example Sentences

  • Cuando era niño, desgarraba las páginas de los libros.

    When I was a child, I used to tear pages from books.

    yo

  • El papel se desgarraba con solo tocarlo.

    The paper would tear with just a touch.

    él/ella/usted

  • Mientras estábamos allí, el viento desgarraba las velas del barco.

    While we were there, the wind was tearing the boat's sails.

    él/ella/usted

  • Ellos desgarraban sus viejos diarios.

    They were tearing up their old diaries.

    ellos/ellas/ustedes

Common Mistakes

  • Mistake: Using the imperfect for a specific, completed action.

    Correct: Use the preterite 'desgarró' for a single completed event.

    Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or repeated past actions, not single, finished ones.

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

    Correct: Ensure correct endings: 'desgarraba' for yo/él/ella/usted, 'desgarrabas' for tú, 'desgarrábamos' for nosotros, etc.

    Why: The imperfect has distinct endings for each pronoun.

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