excusar Imperfect Conjugation
excusar — to excuse
The imperfect of excusar is regular: excusaba, excusabas, excusaba, excusábamos, excusabais, excusaban.
excusar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of 'excusar' to describe habitual actions in the past ('I used to excuse his lateness'), ongoing actions ('He was excusing the situation while the boss listened'), or background descriptions in the past.
Notes on excusar in the Imperfect
Excusar is regular in the imperfect. The endings are standard for -ar verbs in this tense.
Example Sentences
Yo siempre excusaba sus errores.
I always used to excuse his mistakes.
yo
¿Tú excusabas las interrupciones?
Did you used to excuse the interruptions?
tú
Ella excusaba la falta de puntualidad.
She excused the lack of punctuality.
él/ella/usted
Ellos excusaban todo.
They excused everything.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect.
Correct: Use 'excusaba' for ongoing or habitual past actions, not 'excusó'.
Why: The imperfect describes continuous or repeated actions, while the preterite describes single, completed events.
Mistake: Confusing 'excusábamos' (imperfect) with 'excusamos' (present/preterite).
Correct: Remember the '-ba-' stem for imperfect: 'excusábamos'.
Why: The 'ba' ending is characteristic of the imperfect tense and distinguishes it from the present/preterite 'mos' forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: excuso
The present tense of excusar is regular: excuso, excusas, excusa, excusamos, excusáis, excusan.
Preterite
yo: excusé
The preterite of excusar is regular: excusé, excusaste, excusó, excusamos, excusasteis, excusaron.
Future
yo: excusaré
The future of excusar is regular: excusaré, excusarás, excusará, excusaremos, excusaréis, excusarán.
Conditional
yo: excusaría
The conditional of excusar is regular: excusaría, excusarías, excusaría, excusaríamos, excusaríais, excusarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: excuse
The present subjunctive of excusar (e.g., 'excuse', 'excuses') follows verbs of desire, doubt, emotion, and uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: excusara
The imperfect subjunctive of excusar (e.g., 'excusara', 'excusaras') is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: excusa
Use 'excusa' (tú), 'excuse' (usted), 'excusemos' (nosotros), 'excusad' (vosotros), 'excusen' (ustedes) for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no excuses
Use 'no excuses' (tú), 'no excuse' (usted), 'no excusemos' (nosotros), 'no excuséis' (vosotros), 'no excusen' (ustedes) for negative commands.