espiar Imperfect Conjugation
espiar — to spy
The imperfect of espiar is regular: espiaba, espiabas, espiaba, espiábamos, espiabais, espiaban.
espiar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe a past habit of spying or to set the scene (e.g., 'I was spying when the phone rang').
Notes on espiar in the Imperfect
Espiar is regular in the imperfect. Note the accent on the 'nosotros' form (espiábamos).
Example Sentences
De niño, yo espiaba a mis hermanos mayores.
As a child, I used to spy on my older siblings.
yo
Nosotros espiábamos por la cerradura de la puerta.
We used to spy through the keyhole of the door.
nosotros
Ella espiaba a los sospechosos cada tarde.
She was spying on the suspects every afternoon.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'espiábamos'.
Correct: espiábamos
Why: All -ar verbs in the imperfect require an accent on the first 'a' of the 'nosotros' ending.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: espío
Espiar is mostly regular but adds an accent on the 'i' in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Preterite
yo: espié
The preterite of espiar is fully regular: espié, espiaste, espió, espiamos, espiasteis, espiaron.
Future
yo: espiaré
The future of espiar is regular: espiaré, espiarás, espiará, espiaremos, espiaréis, espiarán.
Conditional
yo: espiaría
The conditional of espiar is regular: espiaría, espiarías, espiaría, espiaríamos, espiaríais, espiarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: espíe
The present subjunctive follows the accent shift of the present indicative: espíe, espíes, espíe, espiemos, espiéis, espíen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: espiara
The imperfect subjunctive of espiar is regular: espiara, espiaras, espiara, espiáramos, espiarais, espiaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: espía
The imperative uses the accent-shifted forms: espía (tú), espíe (usted), espiemos (nosotros), espiad (vosotros), espíen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no espíes
The negative imperative matches the present subjunctive: no espíes, no espíe, no espiemos, no espiéis, no espíen.