exagerar Imperfect Conjugation
exagerar — to exaggerate
The imperfect of exagerar (exageraba, exagerabas, etc.) describes ongoing or habitual past exaggeration.
exagerar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe actions that were happening repeatedly or continuously in the past, or to set the scene. 'He used to exaggerate' or 'He was exaggerating'.
Notes on exagerar in the Imperfect
Exagerar is regular in the imperfect tense. It follows the standard -ar verb pattern.
Example Sentences
Cuando era niño, yo exageraba mucho mis logros.
When I was a child, I used to exaggerate my achievements a lot.
yo
Tú siempre exagerabas en tus historias.
You always used to exaggerate in your stories.
tú
Él exageraba con el volumen de la música.
He used to exaggerate with the volume of the music.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros exagerábamos para hacer reír a la gente.
We used to exaggerate to make people laugh.
nosotros
Ellos exageraban las dificultades.
They were exaggerating the difficulties.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite 'exageró' for a habitual past action.
Correct: Use 'exageraba' for actions that happened regularly in the past.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or repeated actions, whereas the preterite describes single, completed events.
Mistake: Confusing the nosotros form 'exagerábamos' with the preterite 'exageramos'.
Correct: Ensure you use the correct ending: '-ábamos' for imperfect, '-amos' for preterite.
Why: These endings are distinct and indicate different time frames for the action.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: exagero
The present tense (exagero, exageras, etc.) describes current actions, habits, and general truths about exaggerating.
Preterite
yo: exageré
The preterite of exagerar is regular: exageré, exageraste, exageró, exageramos, exagerasteis, exageraron.
Future
yo: exageraré
The future tense of exagerar (exageraré, exagerarás, etc.) talks about future exaggerations or probabilities.
Conditional
yo: exageraría
The conditional of exagerar (exageraría, exagerarías, etc.) is used for hypotheticals ('would') and polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: exagere
The present subjunctive (exagere, exageres, etc.) follows expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, and uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: exagerara
The imperfect subjunctive (exagerara, exageraras, etc.) is used for hypothetical or past subjunctive situations.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: exagera
Exagera (tú), exagere (usted), exageremos (nosotros), exageren (ustedes), exagerad (vosotros) are the commands for 'to exaggerate'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no exageres
Negative commands like 'no exageres' (tú) or 'no exagere' (usted) use the present subjunctive.