devorar Imperfect Conjugation
devorar — to devour
Imperfect of devorar is regular: devoraba, devorabas, devoraba, devorábamos, devorabais, devoraban.
devorar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense for ongoing or habitual actions in the past related to 'devorar'. Think of describing a past habit: 'Cuando era niño, devoraba todos los dulces.' (When I was a child, I used to devour all the sweets.) It sets the scene or describes background actions.
Notes on devorar in the Imperfect
'Devorar' is regular in the imperfect indicative. The endings are -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban, added to the infinitive stem.
Example Sentences
Yo devoraba cuentos de aventuras cuando era joven.
I used to devour adventure stories when I was young.
yo
Tú siempre devorabas la cena sin dejar nada.
You always used to devour dinner without leaving anything.
tú
Ella devoraba las cartas de su novio.
She devoured her boyfriend's letters.
él/ella/usted
Ellos devoraban la comida de la abuela.
They devoured their grandmother's food.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite 'devoró' for a habitual past action.
Correct: Use 'devoraba' for habits: 'Devoraba libros' (I used to devour books) not 'Devoró libros' (I devoured books - a specific instance).
Why: Imperfect describes ongoing or repeated actions in the past, preterite describes completed ones.
Mistake: Confusing 'devorábamos' (imperfect) with 'devoramos' (present/preterite).
Correct: Remember the '-ba-' stem for imperfect: 'devorábamos'.
Why: The imperfect tense has distinct '-aba' endings.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: devoro
The present tense of devorar is regular: devoro, devoras, devora, devoramos, devoráis, devoran.
Preterite
yo: devoré
The preterite of devorar is regular: devoré, devoraste, devoró, devoramos, devorasteis, devoraron.
Future
yo: devoraré
The future tense of devorar is regular: devoraré, devorarás, devorará, devoraremos, devoraréis, devorarán.
Conditional
yo: devoraría
The conditional of devorar is regular: devoraría, devorarías, devoraría, devoraríamos, devoraríais, devorarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: devore
Use present subjunctive like 'devore' (yo/él/ella/usted) after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: devorara
Use imperfect subjunctive like 'devorara' (yo/él/ella/usted) for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: devora
Use imperative forms like 'devora' (tú) and 'devore' (usted) for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no devores
Negative commands use 'no' plus the present subjunctive, like 'no devores' (tú).