esforzar Imperfect Conjugation
esforzar — to make an effort
Esforzar is completely regular in the imperfect: esforzaba, esforzabas, esforzaba...
esforzar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use this to describe ongoing efforts in the past or a general habit of being hardworking that doesn't have a specific end date.
Notes on esforzar in the Imperfect
There are no stem changes or spelling changes in the imperfect for this verb.
Example Sentences
De niño, él se esforzaba mucho en la escuela.
As a child, he used to work very hard in school.
él/ella/usted
Nos esforzábamos por mantener la casa limpia.
We used to make an effort to keep the house clean.
nosotros
Tú te esforzabas más antes.
You used to try harder before.
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Adding a stem change like 'esfuerzaba'.
Correct: esforzaba
Why: Stem changes (o > ue) do not occur in the imperfect indicative for -ar verbs.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: esfuerzo
Esforzar is a stem-changing verb (o > ue) in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Preterite
yo: esforcé
The preterite of esforzar features a spelling change (z > c) in the 'yo' form: esforcé.
Future
yo: esforzaré
The future tense is regular: add endings to the full infinitive esforzar-.
Conditional
yo: esforzaría
The conditional is regular: esforzaría, esforzarías, esforzaría...
Present Subjunctive
yo: esfuerce
The present subjunctive follows the stem change (o > ue) and the spelling change (z > c).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: esforzara
The imperfect subjunctive uses the preterite base: esforzara, esforzaras...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: esfuerza
The imperative uses 'esfuerza' for tú and 'esfuercen' for formal commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no esfuerces
The negative imperative always uses the present subjunctive forms after 'no'.