impulsar Imperfect Conjugation
impulsar — to boost
The imperfect of impulsar is regular: impulsaba, impulsabas, impulsaba, impulsábamos, impulsabais, impulsaban.
impulsar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past that involved boosting something. Think of background descriptions: 'He used to boost sales every year,' or 'The coach was boosting the team's morale.'
Notes on impulsar in the Imperfect
Impulsar is regular in the imperfect. The forms are straightforward and follow the standard -ar verb pattern.
Example Sentences
Yo impulsaba el debate en clase.
I used to boost the debate in class.
yo
¿Tú impulsabas a tus compañeros?
Were you boosting your colleagues?
tú
Ella impulsaba el proyecto desde el principio.
She was boosting the project from the beginning.
él/ella/usted
Ellos impulsaban la música local.
They used to boost local music.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single, completed past action.
Correct: Use the preterite ('impulsó') for completed actions.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing, habitual, or descriptive past actions, not specific completed events.
Mistake: Confusing the imperfect with the present tense.
Correct: Ensure the context clearly indicates a past action or state.
Why: While both describe ongoing actions, the imperfect is specifically for the past.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: impulso
The present tense of impulsar is regular: impulso, impulsas, impulsa, impulsamos, impulsáis, impulsan.
Preterite
yo: impulsé
The preterite of impulsar is regular: impulsé, impulsaste, impulsó, impulsamos, impulsasteis, impulsaron.
Future
yo: impulsaré
The future tense of impulsar is regular: impulsaré, impulsarás, impulsará, impulsaremos, impulsaréis, impulsarán.
Conditional
yo: impulsaría
The conditional of impulsar is regular: impulsaría, impulsarías, impulsaría, impulsaríamos, impulsaríais, impulsarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: impulse
The present subjunctive of impulsar (impulse, impulses, impulsemos, impulsen) expresses wishes, doubts, emotions, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: impulsara
The imperfect subjunctive of impulsar (impulsara/impulsarais/impulsaran) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: impulsa
The imperative of impulsar is mostly regular, with commands like impulsa (tú), impulse (usted), impulsemos (nosotros), impulsen (ustedes), and impulsad (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no impulses
Negative commands for 'impulsar' use the present subjunctive with 'no': no impulses, no impulse, no impulsemos, no impulsen, no impulséis.