desgastar Imperfect Conjugation

When to Use the Imperfect

Use the imperfect of desgastar to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, or to set the scene. For example, 'Antes, mis zapatos se desgastaban muy lento' means 'Before, my shoes wore out very slowly' (describing a past situation).

Notes on desgastar in the Imperfect

Desgastar is a regular -ar verb and conjugates normally in the imperfect tense.

Example Sentences

• El uso continuo desgastaba la madera del suelo.

  Continuous use was wearing down the wooden floor.

  él/ella/usted

• Cuando era joven, desgastaba los libros de tanto leerlos.

  When I was young, I used to wear out the books from reading them so much.

  yo

• Tú desgastabas la batería de tu viejo teléfono muy rápido.

  You used to wear out your old phone's battery very quickly.

  tú

• Las ruedas se desgastaban de forma desigual.

  The wheels were wearing down unevenly.

  ellos/ellas/ustedes

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using the preterite 'desgastó' instead of the imperfect 'desgastaba' for ongoing or habitual past actions.

  Correct: For actions that were happening over time or repeated in the past, use the imperfect: 'Antes, se desgastaba rápido', not 'Antes, se desgastó rápido'.

  Why: The imperfect describes the background or duration of past events, while the preterite describes completed events.

• Mistake: Confusing the imperfect 'desgastábamos' (nosotros) with the preterite 'desgastamos'.

  Correct: Remember the imperfect 'nosotros' form has an accent: 'desgastábamos'. The preterite 'nosotros' form is 'desgastamos'.

  Why: These forms are easily confused, but the accent clearly marks the imperfect tense.

Related Tenses