inculpar Imperfect Conjugation
inculpar — to incriminate
The imperfect of inculpar is regular: inculpaba, inculpabas, inculpaba, inculpábamos, inculpabais, inculpaban.
inculpar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of 'inculpar' to describe habitual actions in the past ('He used to incriminate his friends') or to set the scene, describing ongoing situations where someone might be implicated ('Everyone was pointing fingers, and they were trying to incriminate me').
Notes on inculpar in the Imperfect
Inculpar is regular in the imperfect indicative. The endings are standard for -ar verbs in this tense.
Example Sentences
Cuando era joven, me inculpaba fácilmente por todo.
When I was young, I easily incriminated myself for everything.
yo
Antes, él siempre inculpaba a su hermano mayor.
Before, he always used to incriminate his older brother.
él/ella/usted
Mientras hablaban, ellos nos inculpaban sin darnos cuenta.
While they were talking, they were incriminating us without us realizing.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
¿Tú te inculpabas a menudo en esa época?
Did you often incriminate yourself back then?
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite 'inculpó' instead of the imperfect 'inculpaba' for habitual actions.
Correct: Use 'inculpaba' to describe something that happened repeatedly in the past ('He used to incriminate...').
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or repeated actions in the past, whereas the preterite describes completed actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'inculpábamos'.
Correct: The correct form is 'inculpábamos' with an accent on the second 'a'.
Why: The accent is needed to maintain the stress on the correct syllable in the nosotros form of the imperfect tense.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: inculpo
The present indicative of inculpar is regular: inculpo, inculpas, inculpa, inculpamos, inculpáis, inculpan.
Preterite
yo: inculpé
The preterite of inculpar is regular: inculpé, inculpaste, inculpó, inculpamos, inculpasteis, inculparon.
Future
yo: inculparé
The future indicative of inculpar is regular: inculparé, inculparás, inculpará, inculparemos, inculparéis, inculparán.
Conditional
yo: inculparía
The conditional of inculpar is regular: inculparía, inculparías, inculparía, inculparíamos, inculparíais, inculparían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: inculpe
The present subjunctive of inculpar (inculpe, inculpes, etc.) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: inculpara
The imperfect subjunctive of inculpar (e.g., inculpara, inculparas) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: inculpa
Use the imperative of inculpar for direct commands: inculpa (tú), inculpe (usted), inculpemos (nosotros), inculpen (ustedes), inculpad (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no inculpes
Negative commands for inculpar use the present subjunctive: no inculpes (tú), no inculpe (usted), no inculpemos (nosotros), no inculpen (ustedes), no inculpéis (vosotros).