existir Imperfect Conjugation
existir — to exist
Existir is regular in the imperfect: existía, existías, existía, existíamos, existíais, existían.
existir Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe background states or things that used to exist over an indefinite period of time, such as myths, old laws, or childhood beliefs.
Notes on existir in the Imperfect
Existir is regular in the imperfect. All forms follow the -ía, -ías, -ía pattern common to -ir verbs.
Example Sentences
Antes existían muchos dinosaurios.
Many dinosaurs used to exist before.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
En ese tiempo no existía el internet.
In those days, the internet didn't exist.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros creíamos que los dragones existían.
We believed that dragons existed.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'i' in all forms.
Correct: Always write existía with an accent.
Why: Learners often skip accents, but in the imperfect, the accent is required to maintain the correct vowel sounds.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: existo
Existir is a regular -ir verb in the present tense: existo, existes, existe, existimos, existís, existen.
Preterite
yo: existí
The preterite of existir is regular: existí, exististe, existió, existimos, exististeis, existieron.
Future
yo: existiré
The future of existir uses the infinitive as the stem: existir + é, ás, á, emos, éis, án.
Conditional
yo: existiría
The conditional of existir is regular: existiría, existirías, existiría, existiríamos, existiríais, existirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: exista
The present subjunctive of existir uses the 'a' endings: exista, existas, exista, existamos, existáis, existan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: existiera
The imperfect subjunctive of existir is based on the preterite stem: existiera, existieras, existiera, existiéramos.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: existe
The imperative of existir is used for commands: existe, exista, existamos, existid, existan.
Negative Imperative
yo: no existas
The negative imperative of existir matches the present subjunctive: no existas, no exista, no existamos, no existáis, no existan.