encarcelar Imperfect Conjugation
encarcelar — to imprison
The imperfect of encarcelar describes ongoing or habitual past imprisonment, like 'Yo encarcelaba' (I used to imprison).
encarcelar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of encarcelar to describe actions or states that were ongoing, habitual, or habitual in the past, without a specific end. For instance, 'He used to imprison dissidents regularly' or 'The prison was imprisoning many people during that era.'
Notes on encarcelar in the Imperfect
Encarcelar is regular in the imperfect tense. All forms follow the standard pattern for -ar verbs: stem + imperfect endings (-aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban).
Example Sentences
Cuando era dictador, él encarcelaba a sus oponentes.
When he was dictator, he used to imprison his opponents.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros encarcelábamos a los culpables cada semana.
We used to imprison the guilty ones every week.
nosotros
Yo encarcelaba a los niños que se portaban mal en mi imaginación.
I used to imprison the children who misbehaved in my imagination.
yo
Antes, ellos encarcelaban a la gente por crímenes menores.
Before, they used to imprison people for minor crimes.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite 'encarceló' for a habitual past action.
Correct: Use the imperfect 'encarcelaba' for habitual or ongoing past actions.
Why: The imperfect describes the background or routine of the past, not specific completed events.
Mistake: Confusing the 'nosotros' form: writing 'encarcelabamos' without the accent.
Correct: The 'nosotros' form is 'encarcelábamos', with an accent on the 'a'.
Why: The accent is necessary to indicate the correct stress in the 'nosotros' imperfect form.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: encarcielo
The present tense of encarcelar means 'to imprison' or 'is imprisoning,' like 'Yo encarcielo' (I imprison).
Preterite
yo: encarcelé
The preterite of encarcelar is regular: encarcelé, encarcelaste, encarceló, encarcelamos, encarcelasteis, encarcelaron.
Future
yo: encarcelaré
The future tense of encarcelar indicates future actions, like 'Yo encarcelaré' (I will imprison).
Conditional
yo: encarcelaría
The conditional of encarcelar expresses hypothetical actions, like 'Yo encarcelaría' (I would imprison).
Present Subjunctive
yo: encarciele
The present subjunctive of encarcelar is used for wishes, doubts, and emotions, like 'Espero que encarcieles' (I hope you imprison).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: encarcelara
The imperfect subjunctive of encarcelar expresses past hypotheticals or wishes, like 'si encarcelara' (if I were to imprison).
Affirmative Imperative
yo: encarciela
The imperative of encarcelar has commands like '¡Encarcela!' (you, singular) and '¡Encarcelad!' (you, plural, Spain).
Negative Imperative
yo: no encarcieles
Negative commands with encarcelar use the present subjunctive, like '¡No encarceles!' (you, singular).