estorbar Imperfect Conjugation
estorbar — to be in the way
Use estorbaba, estorbabas, estorbaba, estorbábamos, estorbabais, estorbaban for ongoing or habitual past blocking.
estorbar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
The imperfect tense describes ongoing actions or habitual behaviors in the past, or sets the scene. You might say, 'Cuando era niño, estorbaba a mi hermana a propósito' (When I was a child, I used to bother/get in my sister's way on purpose) or 'El coche estorbaba el paso todos los días' (The car blocked the way every day).
Notes on estorbar in the Imperfect
Estorbar is regular in the imperfect indicative. It conjugates by removing -ar and adding -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban.
Example Sentences
Yo estorbaba la entrada con mis cosas.
I used to block the entrance with my things.
yo
Tú estorbabas a tu padre mientras leía.
You were bothering/getting in your father's way while he read.
tú
Él estorbaba el tráfico con su coche mal aparcado.
He was blocking the traffic with his poorly parked car.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros estorbábamos la vista desde allí.
We were blocking the view from there.
nosotros
Ellos estorbaban la salida constantemente.
They were constantly blocking the exit.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite 'estorbó' instead of the imperfect 'estorbaba' for a habitual or ongoing past action.
Correct: Use 'estorbaba' for actions that happened repeatedly or over a period in the past, like 'Siempre estorbaba el paso' (He always blocked the way).
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, while the preterite marks completed events.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'ábamos' in the nosotros form.
Correct: The form is 'estorbábamos' with an accent on the first 'a'.
Why: This accent distinguishes it and marks the stressed syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: estorbo
Use estorbo, estorbas, estorba, estorbamos, estorbáis, estorban for current or habitual blocking.
Preterite
yo: estorbé
Use estorbé, estorbaste, estorbó, estorbamos, estorbasteis, estorbaron for completed actions of blocking.
Future
yo: estorbaré
Use estorbaré, estorbarás, estorbará, estorbaremos, estorbaréis, estorbarán for future blocking.
Conditional
yo: estorbaría
Use estorbaría, estorbarías, estorbaría, estorbaríamos, estorbaríais, estorbarían for hypothetical blocking.
Present Subjunctive
yo: estorbe
Use estorbe, estorbemos, estorben after wishes, doubts, or impersonal expressions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: estorbara
Use estorbara/estorara or estorbarais/estorbarais for hypothetical past situations or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: estorba
Use estorba, estorbe, estorbemos, estorbad, estorben for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no estorbes
Use no estorbes, no estorbe, no estorbemos, no estorbéis, no estorben for negative commands.