frenar Imperfect Conjugation
frenar — to brake
The imperfect of frenar (to brake) is regular: frenaba, frenabas, frenaba, frenábamos, frenabais, frenaban.
frenar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for descriptions. For 'frenar', it could be 'I used to brake at that corner' or 'The car was braking as it approached'.
Notes on frenar in the Imperfect
'Frenar' is regular in the imperfect tense, following the standard pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Yo frenaba en esa curva cada día.
I used to brake on that curve every day.
yo
Tú frenabas muy suavemente.
You used to brake very smoothly.
tú
El coche frenaba solo cuando detectaba un peligro.
The car would brake on its own when it detected danger.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros frenábamos al llegar a casa.
We used to brake when we arrived home.
nosotros
Ellos frenaban pensando que era una emergencia.
They were braking, thinking it was an emergency.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'frenaba' for a single, completed braking action in the past.
Correct: Use the preterite 'frenó' for completed actions: 'El conductor frenó'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, not specific, finished events.
Mistake: Confusing the imperfect with the present tense when describing general habits.
Correct: If the habit is in the past, use imperfect ('frenaba'); if it's current, use present ('frena').
Why: Tense is crucial for indicating when the action or habit occurred.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: freno
The present tense of frenar (to brake) is regular: freno, frenas, frena, frenamos, frenáis, frenan.
Preterite
yo: frené
The preterite of frenar (to brake) is regular: frené, frenaste, frenó, frenamos, frenasteis, frenaron.
Future
yo: frenaré
The future tense of frenar (to brake) is regular: frenaré, frenarás, frenará, frenaremos, frenaréis, frenarán.
Conditional
yo: frenaría
The conditional of frenar (to brake) is regular: frenaría, frenarías, frenaría, frenaríamos, frenaríais, frenarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: frene
Frene, frenes, frene, frenemos, frenéis, frenen are the present subjunctive forms of 'frenar' (to brake).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: frenara
Frenara/frenase, frenaras/frenases, frenara/frenase, frenáramos/frenásemos, frenarais/frenaseis, frenaran/frenasen are imperfect subjunctive forms of 'frenar'.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: frena
Frena, frene, frenemos, frenad, frenen are the imperative commands for 'frenar' (to brake).
Negative Imperative
yo: no frenes
No frenes, no frene, no frenemos, no frenéis, no frenen are the negative commands for 'frenar' (to brake).