matar Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
matar — to kill
The imperfect subjunctive of matar is matara, mataras, matara, matáramos, matarais, mataran.
matar Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
Use this for past-tense subjunctive triggers or in 'if' clauses (e.g., 'If I killed...').
Notes on matar in the Imperfect Subjunctive
Matar is regular here. The stem is taken from the third-person plural preterite (mataron).
Example Sentences
Si yo matara el tiempo así, me sentiría mal.
If I killed time like that, I would feel bad.
yo
Fue una pena que mataran al perro.
It was a shame that they killed the dog.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Si nosotros matáramos la planta, mamá se enojaría.
If we killed the plant, mom would get angry.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'matara' in the second part of an 'if' sentence.
Correct: mataría
Why: The 'if' part uses the imperfect subjunctive, but the result part uses the conditional.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: mato
The present tense of matar is regular: mato, matas, mata, matamos, matáis, matan.
Preterite
yo: maté
The preterite of matar is regular: maté, mataste, mató, matamos, matasteis, mataron.
Imperfect
yo: mataba
The imperfect of matar follows the regular -aba pattern: mataba, matabas, mataba, matábamos, matabais, mataban.
Future
yo: mataré
The future of matar is regular: matar + é, ás, á, emos, éis, án.
Conditional
yo: mataría
The conditional of matar is regular: mataría, matarías, mataría, mataríamos, mataríais, matarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: mate
The present subjunctive of matar uses -e endings: mate, mates, mate, matemos, matéis, maten.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: mata
The affirmative imperative of matar is: mata (tú), mate (usted), matemos (nosotros), matad (vosotros), maten (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no mates
The negative imperative of matar uses the present subjunctive: no mates, no mate, no matemos, no matéis, no maten.