despachar Imperfect Conjugation

When to Use the Imperfect

Use the imperfect of 'despachar' to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, or to set the scene. For example, 'Cuando trabajaba en el restaurante, despachaba muchos cafés' means 'When I worked at the restaurant, I used to serve many coffees.' It describes background actions without a specific end.

Notes on despachar in the Imperfect

Despachar is regular in the imperfect tense. The conjugation follows the standard pattern for -ar verbs.

Example Sentences

• Yo despachaba clientes en la tienda todos los días.

  I used to serve customers in the shop every day.

  yo

• ¿Tú despachabas los periódicos en ese quiosco?

  Did you used to serve/sell the newspapers at that kiosk?

  tú

• El camarero despachaba las comandas mientras sonaba la música.

  The waiter was serving the orders while the music was playing.

  él/ella/usted

• Nosotros despachábamos los paquetes por la mañana.

  We used to dispatch the packages in the morning.

  nosotros

• Ellos despachaban la comida caliente a pesar del calor.

  They were serving the hot food despite the heat.

  ellos/ellas/ustedes

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect for a habitual past action, e.g., 'Despaché el correo cada día'.

  Correct: For habitual actions, use the imperfect: 'Despachaba el correo cada día.'

  Why: The imperfect describes repeated or ongoing actions in the past, whereas the preterite describes single completed events.

• Mistake: Confusing the nosotros and vosotros endings.

  Correct: The correct forms are 'despachábamos' (nosotros) and 'despachabais' (vosotros).

  Why: These endings are specific to each pronoun in the imperfect tense.

Related Tenses