haberse Imperfect Conjugation
haberse — to deal with
The imperfect of haberse is regular in its endings: me había, te habías, se había.
haberse Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe a habitual way of dealing with things in the past or to describe background behavior without a specific end.
Notes on haberse in the Imperfect
While the present and preterite are messy, the imperfect is actually regular based on the 'hab-' stem.
Example Sentences
Me había con timidez cuando era niño.
I used to conduct myself with shyness when I was a child.
yo
Se habían con mucha arrogancia.
They used to behave with a lot of arrogance.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'me hubía'.
Correct: Use 'me había'.
Why: Learners confuse the preterite 'hub-' stem with the imperfect, which keeps the 'hab-' stem.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: me he
The present of haberse uses the short forms: me he, te has, se ha, nos hemos.
Preterite
yo: me hube
The preterite of haberse uses the irregular 'hub-' stem: me hube, te hubiste, se hubo.
Future
yo: me habré
The future of haberse uses the irregular stem 'habr-': me habré, te habrás, se habrá.
Conditional
yo: me habría
The conditional uses the irregular 'habr-' stem: me habría, te habrías, se habría.
Present Subjunctive
yo: me haya
The present subjunctive uses the 'hay-' stem: me haya, te hayas, se haya.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: me hubiera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'hubier-' stem: me hubiera, te hubieras, se hubiera.
Affirmative Imperative
yo:
The imperative of haberse is rare and highly formal: héte, háyase, hayámonos.
Negative Imperative
yo:
The negative imperative uses 'no' + present subjunctive: no te hayas, no se haya.