disminuir Imperfect Conjugation
disminuir — to decrease
Disminuir is regular in the imperfect: disminuía, disminuías, disminuía, disminuíamos, disminuíais, disminuían.
disminuir Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use this to describe a gradual decrease over time in the past or to set the scene for a past situation.
Notes on disminuir in the Imperfect
This verb is regular in the imperfect. Note the accent on the 'í' for all endings.
Example Sentences
Poco a poco, la fiebre disminuía.
Bit by bit, the fever was decreasing.
él/ella/usted
Antes, nosotros disminuíamos los gastos en verano.
Before, we used to decrease our expenses in the summer.
nosotros
Las luces disminuían mientras empezaba la película.
The lights were dimming (decreasing) as the movie started.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: disminuia
Correct: disminuía
Why: The 'i' in the -ía ending always carries an accent in the imperfect for -ir verbs.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'disminuir' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: disminuyo
Disminuir is irregular in the present tense, adding a 'y' before endings: disminuyo, disminuyes, disminuye, disminuyen.
Preterite
yo: disminuí
In the preterite, disminuir changes 'i' to 'y' in the third-person forms: disminuyó and disminuyeron.
Future
yo: disminuiré
Disminuir is regular in the future: disminuiré, disminuirás, disminuirá, disminuiremos, disminuiréis, disminuirán.
Conditional
yo: disminuiría
The conditional of disminuir is regular: disminuiría, disminuirías, disminuiría, disminuiríamos, disminuiríais, disminuirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: disminuya
The present subjunctive follows the 'yo' form change, inserting a 'y': disminuya, disminuyas, disminuya, etc.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: disminuyera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'y' from the preterite: disminuyera, disminuyeras, disminuyera...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: disminuye
Give commands to reduce or decrease: disminuye (tú), disminuya (usted), disminuid (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no disminuyas
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: no disminuyas, no disminuya, no disminuyamos.