jalar Imperfect Conjugation
jalar — to pull
The imperfect of jalar is regular: jalaba, jalabas, jalaba, jalábamos, jalabais, jalaban.
jalar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, or to describe background details. For 'jalar,' this means describing someone who used to pull something often or was in the process of pulling.
Notes on jalar in the Imperfect
Jalar is regular in the imperfect tense.
Example Sentences
Cuando era niño, yo jalaba la carreta del abuelo.
When I was a child, I used to pull my grandfather's cart.
yo
Tú jalabas la puerta pero no se abría.
You were pulling the door but it wasn't opening.
tú
Ella jalaba el tren de juguete por toda la casa.
She was pulling the toy train all over the house.
él/ella/usted
Ellos jalaban la cuerda mientras cantaban.
They were pulling the rope while they sang.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nosotros jalábamos la red cada mañana.
We used to pull the net every morning.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite for ongoing past actions or descriptions.
Correct: For background or ongoing actions, use the imperfect: 'Ella jalaba...' not 'Ella jaló...'.
Why: The imperfect describes the scene or the ongoing nature of the past action, not its completion.
Mistake: Confusing the 'vosotros' imperfect indicative 'jalabais' with the imperfect subjunctive 'jalarais'.
Correct: Ensure you use 'jalabais' for descriptive past actions with 'vosotros'.
Why: These forms look similar but belong to different moods and tenses.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: jalo
The present of jalar is regular: jalo, jalas, jala, jalamos, jaláis, jalan.
Preterite
yo: jalé
The preterite of jalar is regular: jalé, jalaste, jaló, jalamos, jalasteis, jalaron.
Future
yo: jalaré
The future of jalar is regular: jalaré, jalarás, jalará, jalaremos, jalaréis, jalarán.
Conditional
yo: jalaría
The conditional of jalar is regular: jalaría, jalarías, jalaría, jalaríamos, jalaríais, jalarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: jale
The present subjunctive of jalar is jale (yo/él/ella/usted), jales (tú), jalemos (nosotros), jalen (ellos/ellas/ustedes/vosotros).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: jalara
The imperfect subjunctive of jalar is jalara/jalase (él/ella/usted/yo), jalaras/jalases (tú), jaláramos/jalásemos (nosotros), jalaran/jalasen (ellos/ellas/ustedes), jalarais/jalaseis (vosotros).
Affirmative Imperative
yo: jala
The imperative of jalar is jala (tú), jale (usted), jalemos (nosotros), jalen (ustedes), jala (vosotros), jalen (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no jales
The negative imperative of jalar uses the present subjunctive: no jales (tú), no jale (usted), no jalemos (nosotros), no jalen (ustedes), no jaléis (vosotros).