entretener Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
entretener — to entertain
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'entretuvier-' stem: entretuviera, entretuvieras.
entretener Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
Use this for hypothetical situations (e.g., 'If it entertained me, I would watch it') or past requests.
Notes on entretener in the Imperfect Subjunctive
This tense is built from the third-person plural of the preterite (entretuvieron). It keeps the 'tuv' stem throughout.
Example Sentences
Si el libro me entretuviera, lo terminaría.
If the book entertained me, I would finish it.
yo
Fue una pena que no se entretuvieran en la fiesta.
It was a shame they didn't have a good time at the party.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Si nos entretuviéramos menos, terminaríamos antes.
If we got distracted less, we would finish sooner.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'entreteniera'.
Correct: entretuviera
Why: Just like the preterite, this tense must use the irregular 'tuv' stem.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: entretengo
Entretener follows the 'tener' pattern in the present: it has a 'go' in the yo form and an e-to-ie stem change.
Preterite
yo: entretuve
The preterite of entretener uses the irregular 'tuv' stem: entretuve, entretuviste, entretuvo.
Imperfect
yo: entretenía
Entretener is regular in the imperfect: entretenía, entretenías, entretenía.
Future
yo: entretendré
The future tense uses the irregular stem 'entretendr-': entretendré, entretendrás.
Conditional
yo: entretendría
The conditional uses the irregular stem 'entretendr-': entretendría, entretendrías.
Present Subjunctive
yo: entretenga
The present subjunctive uses the 'entreteng-' stem: entretenga, entretengas.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: entretén
The imperative uses 'entretén' for tú and 'entretengan' for formal commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no entretengas
The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive: no entretengas, no entretenga.