desistir Imperfect Conjugation
desistir — to give up
The imperfect of desistir (desistía, desistías, etc.) describes past habits or ongoing actions of giving up.
desistir Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense of 'desistir' to describe repeated instances of giving up in the past, or to set the scene by describing a state of someone giving up that was ongoing. It paints a picture of the past rather than stating a single completed event.
Notes on desistir in the Imperfect
Desistir is regular in the imperfect indicative tense.
Example Sentences
Yo desistía de mis propósitos de Año Nuevo cada febrero.
I used to give up on my New Year's resolutions every February.
yo
Tú desistías de estudiar español porque te parecía muy difícil.
You used to give up on studying Spanish because it seemed too hard.
tú
Él desistía de luchar contra el sistema.
He was giving up fighting against the system.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros desistíamos de intentar arreglar el coche viejo.
We were giving up trying to fix the old car.
nosotros
Ellos desistían de la búsqueda cada noche al anochecer.
They used to give up the search every night at dusk.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single, completed act of giving up.
Correct: Use the preterite 'desistió' for a specific past event, e.g., 'Él desistió ayer'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, not single completed events which require the preterite.
Mistake: Confusing imperfect endings.
Correct: Ensure you use '-ía' for yo/él/ella/usted and '-ían' for ellos/ellas/ustedes.
Why: Incorrect endings can lead to confusion between persons or tenses.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: desisto
The present tense of desistir (desisto, desistes, etc.) means to give up habitually or right now.
Preterite
yo: desistí
The preterite of desistir is regular: desistí, desististe, desistió, desistimos, desististeis, desistieron.
Future
yo: desistiré
The future tense of desistir (desistiré, desistirás, etc.) expresses that someone will give up.
Conditional
yo: desistiría
The conditional of desistir (desistiría, desistirías, etc.) expresses 'would give up' or polite suggestions.
Present Subjunctive
yo: desista
The present subjunctive of desistir (desista, desistas, etc.) follows expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: desistiera
The imperfect subjunctive of desistir (desistiera, desistieras, etc.) is used for past hypotheticals or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: desiste
Desist has regular imperative forms like desiste, desista, desistamos, desistan, desistid.
Negative Imperative
yo: no desistas
Negative commands for desistir use 'no' + present subjunctive: no desistas, no desista, no desistamos, no desistan, no desistáis.