examinar Imperfect Conjugation
examinar — to examine
The imperfect of 'examinar' is regular: 'examinaba', 'examinabas', 'examinaba', 'examinábamos', 'examinabais', 'examinaban'.
examinar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of 'examinar' to describe ongoing actions in the past ('He was examining the results when the phone rang'), habitual actions ('I used to examine patients every morning'), or to set the scene ('The doctor was examining the patient').
Notes on examinar in the Imperfect
'Examinar' is regular in the imperfect tense.
Example Sentences
Yo examinaba los documentos cada mañana.
I used to examine the documents every morning.
yo
¿Tú examinabas el cuerpo del delito?
Were you examining the crime scene?
tú
Ella examinaba la radiografía cuando la llamaron.
She was examining the X-ray when they called her.
él/ella/usted
Ellos examinaban el terreno para construir.
They were examining the land to build.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite for ongoing or habitual past actions.
Correct: For past routines or descriptions, use 'examinaba', not 'examiné'.
Why: The imperfect describes background and continuity, while the preterite describes completed events.
Mistake: Confusing the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms.
Correct: Both are 'examinaba', context is key.
Why: This is a common feature of the imperfect tense for regular verbs.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: examino
The present tense of 'examinar' is regular: 'examino', 'examinas', 'examina', 'examinamos', 'examináis', 'examinan'.
Preterite
yo: examiné
The preterite of 'examinar' is regular: 'examiné', 'examinaste', 'examinó', 'examinamos', 'examinasteis', 'examinaron'.
Future
yo: examinaré
The future tense of 'examinar' is regular: 'examinaré', 'examinarás', 'examinará', 'examinaremos', 'examinaréis', 'examinarán'.
Conditional
yo: examinaría
The conditional of 'examinar' is regular: 'examinaría', 'examinarías', 'examinaría', 'examinaríamos', 'examinaríais', 'examinarían'.
Present Subjunctive
yo: examine
The present subjunctive of 'examinar' (examine, examines, examinezamos, etc.) expresses wishes, doubts, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: examinara
The imperfect subjunctive of 'examinar' (examinara, examinases, etc.) is used for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: examina
The imperative of 'examinar' has regular commands like 'examina' (tú) and 'examine' (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no examines
Negative commands for 'examinar' use the present subjunctive: 'no examines' (tú), 'no examine' (usted).