estirar Imperfect Conjugation
estirar — to stretch
The imperfect of estirar (estiraba) describes ongoing or habitual past stretching.
estirar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense for actions that were happening continuously in the past, or that were habitual. For example, 'Cuando era joven, estiraba todos los días.' (When I was young, I used to stretch every day.) It sets the scene or describes background actions.
Notes on estirar in the Imperfect
Estirar is regular in the imperfect indicative. The endings are standard for -ar verbs in this tense.
Example Sentences
Yo me estiraba lentamente por la mañana.
I used to stretch slowly in the morning.
yo
¿Te estirabas tú mucho en esa época?
Did you stretch a lot back then?
tú
Ella estiraba la cuerda mientras él tiraba.
She was stretching the rope while he pulled.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros estirábamos los brazos al levantarnos.
We used to stretch our arms when we got up.
nosotros
Ellos estiraban la masa antes de hornearla.
They were stretching the dough before baking it.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect for ongoing past actions.
Correct: Say 'Me estiraba cada día' (I used to stretch every day) for a habit, not 'Me estiré cada día'.
Why: The imperfect describes continuous or repeated actions in the past, whereas the preterite marks a single, completed event.
Mistake: Confusing the accent in the 'nosotros' form.
Correct: The correct form is 'estirábamos', with an accent on the first 'a'.
Why: The accent is necessary to show the correct stress on the syllable 'rá' in this verb form.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: estiro
The present tense of estirar (estiro) is used for current actions, habits, and general truths.
Preterite
yo: estiré
The preterite of estirar is regular: estiré, estiraste, estiró, estiramos, estirasteis, estiraron.
Future
yo: estiraré
The future tense of estirar (estiraré) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: estiraría
The conditional of estirar (estiraría) is used for hypotheticals ('would stretch') and polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: estire
The present subjunctive of estirar (estire) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: estirara
The imperfect subjunctive of estirar (estirara/estirase) is used for past hypotheticals or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: estira
Use imperative forms like 'estira' (tú) for direct commands with estirar.
Negative Imperative
yo: no estires
Use 'no' + present subjunctive (e.g., 'no estires') for negative commands with estirar.