dominar Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
dominar — to master
The imperfect subjunctive of dominar (dominara, dominaras, etc.) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
dominar Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
This tense dives into the past subjunctive world, perfect for 'if I mastered...' scenarios, expressing past wishes, or making very polite requests that were dependent on something else. For example, 'If you mastered Spanish, you would understand.'
Notes on dominar in the Imperfect Subjunctive
Dominar is regular in the imperfect subjunctive. Both the -ra and -se forms exist, but the -ra form (dominara, dominaras, dominara, domináramos, dominarais, dominaran) is more common.
Example Sentences
Si yo dominara el piano, tocaría en la orquesta.
If I mastered the piano, I would play in the orchestra.
yo
Me gustaría que tú dominaras la situación.
I would like you to master the situation.
tú
Esperábamos que ella dominara el tema antes del examen.
We hoped she would master the topic before the exam.
él/ella/usted
Ojalá domináramos el arte de volar.
If only we mastered the art of flying.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect subjunctive.
Correct: For hypothetical past conditions ('If I mastered...'), use 'Si yo dominara', not 'Si yo dominé'.
Why: The preterite refers to completed actions, while the imperfect subjunctive deals with hypothetical or non-factual situations in the past.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the nosotros form 'domináramos'.
Correct: The correct form is 'domináramos', with an accent on the 'a'.
Why: The accent is necessary to indicate the stressed syllable in the nosotros form.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: domino
The present tense of dominar (domino, dominas, etc.) describes current actions, habits, or general truths.
Preterite
yo: dominé
The preterite of dominar is regular: dominé, dominaste, dominó, dominamos, dominasteis, dominaron, for completed past actions.
Imperfect
yo: dominaba
The imperfect of dominar (dominaba, dominabas, etc.) describes ongoing or habitual past actions and background details.
Future
yo: dominaré
The future tense of dominar (dominaré, dominarás, etc.) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: dominaría
The conditional of dominar (dominaría, dominarías, etc.) is used for hypotheticals ('would'), polite requests, and future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: domine
The present subjunctive of dominar (domine, domines, etc.) follows expressions of desire, doubt, emotion, or uncertainty.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: domina
Use the imperative of dominar for direct commands like 'domina' (you, informal) or 'dominen' (you all, formal).
Negative Imperative
yo: no domines
Negative commands use the present subjunctive with 'no', like 'no domines' (you, informal) or 'no dominen' (you all, formal).