inspirar Imperfect Conjugation
inspirar — to inspire
Use 'inspiraba', 'inspirabas', 'inspirábamos', 'inspiraban' for ongoing or habitual past actions.
inspirar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
The imperfect tense describes actions that were happening continuously in the past, habitual actions, or sets the background scene. It answers 'What was happening?' or 'What used to happen?'. For 'inspirar', it could describe someone who *used to* inspire you, or a time when something *was* inspiring.
Notes on inspirar in the Imperfect
Inspirar is regular in the imperfect tense. It follows the standard -ar verb pattern: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban.
Example Sentences
Cuando era joven, su música me inspiraba mucho.
When I was young, his music used to inspire me a lot.
yo
Ella siempre inspiraba a sus estudiantes con su pasión.
She always inspired her students with her passion.
él/ella/usted
Nos inspirábamos en los héroes de la historia.
We used to get inspired by the heroes of history.
nosotros
En esa época, las películas inspiraban esperanza.
In that era, the movies inspired hope.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite ('inspiró') for a habitual past action.
Correct: Use the imperfect ('inspiraba') for actions that happened repeatedly or were ongoing in the past.
Why: The imperfect describes the continuity or habit, while the preterite describes a single, completed event.
Mistake: Confusing the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms, both being 'inspiraba'.
Correct: Context and the subject pronoun (or lack thereof) are key. The forms are identical.
Why: For many verbs, the yo and él/ella/usted forms of the imperfect indicative are the same, requiring careful attention to context.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: inspiro
Use 'inspiro', 'inspiras', 'inspira', 'inspiramos', 'inspiráis', 'inspiran' for current or habitual actions.
Preterite
yo: inspiré
Use 'inspiré', 'inspiraste', 'inspiró', 'inspiramos', 'inspirasteis', 'inspiraron' for completed past actions.
Future
yo: inspiraré
Use 'inspiraré', 'inspirarás', 'inspirará', 'inspiraremos', 'inspiraréis', 'inspirarán' for future actions or probability.
Conditional
yo: inspiraría
Use 'inspiraría', 'inspirarías', 'inspiraría', 'inspiraríamos', 'inspiraríais', 'inspirarían' for hypotheticals and polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: inspire
Use 'inspire', 'inspires', 'inspiremos', 'inspiren' for wishes, doubts, emotions, and recommendations.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: inspirara
Use 'inspirara', 'inspiraras', 'inspiráramos', 'inspiraran' for past hypothetical situations or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: inspira
Use 'inspira', 'inspire', 'inspiremos', 'inspirad', 'inspiren' for direct commands and suggestions.
Negative Imperative
yo: no inspires
Use 'no inspires', 'no inspire', 'no inspiremos', 'no inspiréis', 'no inspiren' for negative commands.