felicitar Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
felicitar — to congratulate
The imperfect subjunctive of felicitar (felicitara/felicitase) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
felicitar Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
Use the imperfect subjunctive of felicitar to express hypothetical situations in the past, wishes that were not fulfilled, or polite requests that were made in the past.
Notes on felicitar in the Imperfect Subjunctive
Felicitar is regular in the imperfect subjunctive. Both the -ra and -se forms exist (e.g., felicitara and felicitase), with -ra often preferred.
Example Sentences
Ojalá te hubiera podido felicitar en persona.
I wish I could have congratulated you in person.
yo
Si hubieras ganado, te habríamos felicitado.
If you had won, we would have congratulated you.
nosotros
Me pidió que lo felicitara por su ascenso.
He asked me to congratulate him on his promotion.
él/ella/usted
Ellos dudaban que los felicitaran en la ceremonia.
They doubted they would congratulate them at the ceremony.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect subjunctive for past hypotheticals.
Correct: Use 'felicitara' or 'felicitase' for past hypotheticals, e.g., 'Si hubiera podido...'.
Why: The imperfect subjunctive is the correct mood for unreal or hypothetical conditions in the past.
Mistake: Confusing -ra and -se forms.
Correct: Both 'felicitara' and 'felicitase' are correct, but '-ra' is generally more common. Ensure consistency.
Why: While interchangeable in many contexts, regional preferences and stylistic choices exist.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: felicito
The present tense of felicitar (felicito, felicitas, felicita, felicitamos, felicitáis, felicitan) describes habitual actions or things happening now.
Preterite
yo: felicité
The preterite of felicitar is regular: felicité, felicitaste, felicitó, felicitamos, felicitasteis, felicitaron.
Imperfect
yo: felicitaba
The imperfect of felicitar (felicitaba, felicitabas, felicitaba, felicitábamos, felicitabais, felicitaban) describes ongoing or habitual past congratulations.
Future
yo: felicitaré
The future tense of felicitar (felicitaré, felicitarás, felicitará, etc.) indicates an action that will happen.
Conditional
yo: felicitaría
The conditional of felicitar (felicitaría, felicitarías, felicitaría, etc.) is used for hypotheticals, polite requests, and future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: felicite
The present subjunctive of felicitar (felicite, felicites, felicitemos, felicitéis, feliciten) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, and uncertainty.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: felicita
The imperative of felicitar uses 'felicita' (tú), 'felicite' (usted), 'felicitemos' (nosotros), 'felicitéis' (vosotros), 'felicite' (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no felicites
Negative commands for felicitar use 'no' plus the present subjunctive: no felicites (tú), no felicite (usted), no felicitemos (nosotros), no felicitéis (vosotros), no feliciten (ustedes).