espantar Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
espantar — to scare away
Espantara, espantaras, espantáramos, espantaran, espantarais are the imperfect subjunctive forms of espantar.
espantar Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
This tense is used for hypothetical situations, wishes, or doubts in the past. Imagine saying 'I would have scared away...' or 'If I had scared away...'.
Notes on espantar in the Imperfect Subjunctive
Espantar is a regular -ar verb, so its imperfect subjunctive forms are also regular. You just add the imperfect subjunctive endings to the stem 'espant-'.
Example Sentences
Me pidió que espantara a los pájaros de su balcón.
He asked me to scare the birds away from his balcony.
yo
Si tú espantaras a los insectos, no tendríamos picaduras.
If you scared away the insects, we wouldn't have bites.
tú
El granjero deseaba que la tormenta espantara a las plagas.
The farmer wished the storm would scare away the pests.
él/ella/usted
Ojalá nosotros espantáramos a los fantasmas de la casa.
Hopefully, we would scare away the ghosts from the house.
nosotros
Sería mejor que ellos espantaran a los ladrones.
It would be better if they scared away the thieves.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect indicative instead of the imperfect subjunctive.
Correct: For hypothetical or wishful thinking, use 'espantara' not 'espantaba'.
Why: The indicative describes facts or ongoing past actions, while the subjunctive expresses non-reality or desire.
Mistake: Confusing the -ra and -se forms.
Correct: While both exist, the -ra form (espantara) is more common and generally preferred.
Why: Learners might mix up the endings or use the less common -se form incorrectly.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'espantar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: espanto
Espanto, espantas, espanta, espantamos, espantáis, espantan describe current actions or habits of scaring away.
Preterite
yo: espanté
Espanté, espantaste, espantó, espantamos, espantasteis, espantaron are the completed past actions for espantar.
Imperfect
yo: espantaba
Espantaba, espantabas, espantaba, espantábamos, espantabais, espantaban describe ongoing or habitual past actions of scaring away.
Future
yo: espantaré
Espantaré, espantarás, espantará, espantaremos, espantaréis, espantarán predict future actions of scaring away.
Conditional
yo: espantaría
Espantaría, espantarías, espantaría, espantaríamos, espantaríais, espantarían express hypothetical 'would' scenarios for espantar.
Present Subjunctive
yo: espante
Espante, espantes, espantemos, espanten, espantéis are the present subjunctive forms of espantar.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: espanta
Espanta, espante, espantemos, espanten, espantad are the imperative commands for espantar.
Negative Imperative
yo: no espantes
No espantes, no espante, no espantemos, no espanten, no espantéis are negative commands for espantar.