estafar Imperfect Conjugation
estafar — to scam
The imperfect of estafar (estafaba) describes habitual or ongoing past scams.
estafar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe actions of scamming that were habitual, ongoing, or set the scene in the past. For instance, 'He used to scam people regularly' or 'While they were scamming him, the police arrived.'
Notes on estafar in the Imperfect
Estafar is a regular -ar verb and is completely regular in the imperfect indicative tense. The stem 'estaf-' is used with the standard imperfect endings (-aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban).
Example Sentences
Cuando era joven, él estafaba a sus vecinos.
When he was young, he used to scam his neighbors.
él/ella/usted
Mientras nosotros hablábamos, ellos nos estafaban.
While we were talking, they were scamming us.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Yo no estafaba a nadie, solo contaba chistes.
I wasn't scamming anyone, I was just telling jokes.
yo
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite for a description of past habits.
Correct: For habitual past actions, use the imperfect 'estafaba'.
Why: The preterite is for completed actions, while the imperfect describes ongoing or repeated actions in the past.
Mistake: Confusing the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms.
Correct: Both 'yo estafaba' and 'él/ella/usted estafaba' are identical. Context or subject pronouns are needed for clarity.
Why: This is a common feature of regular -ar verbs in the imperfect tense.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: estafo
The present tense of estafar (estafo, estafas, estafa, etc.) describes habitual or current scams.
Preterite
yo: estafé
The preterite of estafar is regular: estafé, estafaste, estafó, estafamos, estafasteis, estafaron.
Future
yo: estafaré
The future tense of estafar (estafaré, estafarás, etc.) predicts or speculates about future scams.
Conditional
yo: estafaría
The conditional of estafar (estafaría, estafarías, etc.) is used for hypotheticals and polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: estafe
The present subjunctive of estafar (estofe, estafes, etc.) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: estafara
The imperfect subjunctive of estafar (estafara/estafase) is used for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: estafa
The imperative of estafar is mostly regular, with commands like 'estafa' (tú) and 'estafad' (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no estafes
Negative commands for estafar use the present subjunctive: no estafes (tú), no estafen (ustedes).