emigrar Imperfect Conjugation

When to Use the Imperfect

Use the imperfect tense to describe ongoing or habitual actions of emigrating in the past, or to set the background scene. For example, 'When I was young, we used to emigrate every few years' or 'He was emigrating when the war broke out'.

Notes on emigrar in the Imperfect

Emigrar is regular in the imperfect indicative. It follows the standard -ar verb pattern for this tense.

Example Sentences

• Cuando era niño, mi familia emigraba a menudo.

  When I was a child, my family emigrated often.

  él/ella/usted

• Ellos emigraban buscando una vida mejor.

  They were emigrating (or used to emigrate) seeking a better life.

  ellos/ellas/ustedes

• Yo emigraba a España cada verano.

  I emigrated (used to emigrate) to Spain every summer.

  yo

• Tú emigrabas cuando recibiste la noticia.

  You were emigrating when you received the news.

  tú

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using the preterite for habitual or ongoing past actions.

  Correct: For actions that happened repeatedly or continuously in the past, use the imperfect: 'Antes emigraba mucho', not 'Antes emigró mucho'.

  Why: The imperfect describes duration or repetition, while the preterite marks a single completed event.

• Mistake: Confusing the imperfect with the present.

  Correct: Remember that imperfect forms like 'emigraba' refer to past actions, not present ones.

  Why: The '-aba' ending clearly signals the imperfect tense.

Related Tenses