maquinar Imperfect Conjugation
maquinar — to plot
Use 'maquinaba' for ongoing or habitual past plotting.
maquinar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
The imperfect is for describing ongoing actions or habits in the past, setting the scene, or describing what someone *used* to do. 'Cuando era joven, maquinaba muchas aventuras.' (When I was young, I used to plot many adventures).
Notes on maquinar in the Imperfect
Maquinar is regular in the imperfect indicative. All forms are standard for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Yo maquinaba planes todo el tiempo.
I was plotting plans all the time.
yo
¿Tú maquinabas algo interesante?
Were you plotting something interesting?
tú
Él maquinaba en silencio, nadie lo sabía.
He was plotting in silence, nobody knew.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros maquinábamos cómo mejorar el sistema.
We were plotting how to improve the system.
nosotros
Ellos maquinaban un gran proyecto cuando los interrumpieron.
They were plotting a big project when they were interrupted.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single, completed past action.
Correct: Use the preterite 'maquinó' for a specific completed event, e.g., 'Ayer maquinó un plan'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual actions, not single, finished ones.
Mistake: Confusing 'maquinaba' (imperfect) with 'maquinaba' (preterite).
Correct: There is no confusion as both are 'maquinaba' for él/ella/usted and yo. However, learners might mix up imperfect and preterite forms for other persons.
Why: It's crucial to distinguish between ongoing/habitual past actions (imperfect) and completed past actions (preterite).
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: maquino
Use 'maquino' and 'maquina' for current or habitual plotting.
Preterite
yo: maquiné
Use 'maquiné' and 'maquinó' for completed past plotting actions.
Future
yo: maquinaré
Use 'maquinaré' and 'maquinará' for future plotting.
Conditional
yo: maquinaría
Use 'maquinaría' for hypothetical plotting or polite suggestions.
Present Subjunctive
yo: maquine
Use 'maquine' (yo/él/ella/usted) and 'maquinen' (ustedes) for wishes, doubts, or emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: maquinara
Use 'maquinara' or 'maquinase' for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: maquina
Use 'maquina' (tú) and 'maquinen' (ustedes) for direct commands with maquinar.
Negative Imperative
yo: no maquines
Use 'no maquines' (tú) and 'no maquinen' (ustedes) for negative commands.