donar Imperfect Conjugation
donar — to donate
The imperfect of 'donar' (donaba, donabas, etc.) describes ongoing or habitual donating in the past.
donar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to talk about what you *used to* do or what was happening repeatedly in the past. For example, 'Cuando era niño, donaba mis juguetes viejos' (When I was a child, I used to donate my old toys) or 'La fundación donaba ayuda cada mes' (The foundation donated aid every month). It sets the scene in the past.
Notes on donar in the Imperfect
'Donar' is regular in the imperfect indicative. The forms are standard: donaba, donabas, donaba, donábamos, donabais, donaban.
Example Sentences
Yo donaba dinero a esa causa todos los años.
I donated money to that cause every year.
yo
¿Tú donabas sangre frecuentemente?
Did you frequently donate blood?
tú
Él siempre donaba algo de su sueldo.
He always donated part of his salary.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros donábamos libros a la biblioteca.
We donated books to the library.
nosotros
Ellos donaban ropa en invierno.
They donated clothes in winter.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single completed donation.
Correct: Use the preterite 'donó' for a specific past donation, not 'donaba'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual actions, while the preterite is for completed, punctual actions.
Mistake: Confusing the 'nosotros' form.
Correct: The imperfect nosotros form is 'donábamos', not 'donaban'.
Why: This is a common error for -ar verbs in the imperfect.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: dono
The present tense of 'donar' (dono, donas, etc.) describes habitual or current acts of donating.
Preterite
yo: doné
The preterite of 'donar' (doné, donaste, etc.) marks completed actions of donating in the past.
Future
yo: donaréis
The future tense of 'donar' (donaré, donarás, etc.) expresses what will happen.
Conditional
yo: donaría
The conditional of 'donar' (donaría, donarías, etc.) expresses hypotheticals like 'would donate'.
Present Subjunctive
yo: done
The present subjunctive of 'donar' (done, dones, etc.) is used for wishes, doubts, emotions, and impersonal expressions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: donara
The imperfect subjunctive of 'donar' (donara, donaras, etc.) expresses past wishes, doubts, or hypothetical situations.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: dona
Use 'dona', 'done', 'donen', 'donemos', 'donad' for direct commands with 'donar'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no dones
Negative commands use 'no' + present subjunctive: 'no dones', 'no done', 'no donen', 'no donemos', 'no donéis'.