exprimir Imperfect Conjugation
exprimir — to squeeze
The imperfect of exprimir is regular: exprimía, exprimías, exprimía, exprimíamos, exprimíais, exprimían.
exprimir Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of 'exprimir' to describe ongoing actions in the past, habitual actions, or to set the scene. For example, 'Cuando era niño, exprimía naranjas todos los días' (When I was a child, I used to squeeze oranges every day) or 'El sol calentaba mientras ella exprimía uvas' (The sun was warming as she was squeezing grapes).
Notes on exprimir in the Imperfect
Exprimir is regular in the imperfect tense. All forms follow the standard conjugation pattern for -ir verbs.
Example Sentences
Yo exprimía mucha fruta cuando tenía la tienda.
I used to squeeze a lot of fruit when I had the store.
yo
¿Tú exprimías la leche de coco para la receta?
Were you squeezing the coconut milk for the recipe?
tú
Él exprimía la toalla mojada.
He was squeezing the wet towel.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros exprimíamos las limas para hacer cócteles.
We used to squeeze limes to make cocktails.
nosotros
Vosotros exprimíais el jugo de la caña.
You all were squeezing the juice from the cane.
vosotros
Ellos exprimían la esponja una y otra vez.
They were squeezing the sponge over and over.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite 'exprimió' instead of the imperfect 'exprimía' for ongoing past actions.
Correct: Use 'exprimía' to describe something that was happening continuously or habitually in the past.
Why: The imperfect describes background or ongoing actions, while the preterite describes a single, completed event.
Mistake: Confusing the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms.
Correct: Both forms are 'exprimía', context is key.
Why: For regular -ir verbs, the imperfect forms for yo and él/ella/usted are identical.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: exprimo
The present tense of exprimir is regular: exprimo, exprimes, exprime, exprimimos, exprimís, exprimen.
Preterite
yo: exprimí
The preterite of exprimir is regular: exprimí, exprimiste, exprimió, exprimimos, exprimisteis, exprimieron.
Future
yo: exprimiré
The future tense of exprimir is regular: exprimiré, exprimirás, exprime, exprimiremos, exprimiréis, exprimirán.
Conditional
yo: exprimiría
The conditional of exprimir is regular: exprimiría, exprimirías, exprimiría, exprimiríamos, exprimiríais, exprimirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: exprima
Used after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion, like 'Espero que exprimas bien la fruta' (I hope you squeeze the fruit well).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: exprimiera
Used for past hypotheticals or wishes, like 'Si exprimiera la naranja, habría más jugo' (If I squeezed the orange, there would be more juice).
Affirmative Imperative
yo: exprime
Use the imperative for direct commands like 'exprime la naranja' (squeeze the orange).
Negative Imperative
yo: no exprimas
Use 'no exprimas' (don't squeeze) and similar forms for negative commands.