esfumar Imperfect Conjugation

When to Use the Imperfect

Use the imperfect to describe ongoing or habitual actions of vanishing in the past, or to set the scene. 'El humo se esfumaba' (The smoke was vanishing) paints a picture of a continuous process.

Notes on esfumar in the Imperfect

Esfumar is regular in the imperfect tense. The endings are standard for -ar verbs.

Example Sentences

• El humo se esfumaba lentamente hacia el cielo.

  The smoke was vanishing slowly towards the sky.

  él/ella/usted

• Yo me esfumaba de casa de mis padres cada verano.

  I used to vanish from my parents' house every summer.

  yo

• ¿Tú te esfumabas cuando sonaba el despertador?

  Were you vanishing when the alarm clock rang?

  tú

• Ellos se esfumaban de la habitación cuando llegaba la policía.

  They used to vanish from the room when the police arrived.

  ellos/ellas/ustedes

• Nos esfumábamos antes de que nos vieran.

  We used to vanish before they saw us.

  nosotros

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using the preterite 'esfumó' for a description or ongoing past action.

  Correct: Use 'esfumaba' for ongoing or habitual past actions, like 'El aroma se esfumaba' (The aroma was vanishing).

  Why: The imperfect describes continuous or repeated actions in the past, not single completed events.

• Mistake: Confusing the imperfect 'esfumaba' (yo/él/ella/usted) with the preterite 'esfumó'.

  Correct: Remember the '-aba' ending for imperfect and the '-ó' for preterite él/ella/usted.

  Why: These are distinct tenses with different meanings and forms.

Related Tenses