militar Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
militar — to serve (in the military)
The imperfect subjunctive of militar (militara/militase) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
militar Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
This tense is for hypothetical situations or wishes in the past, or when making polite requests that refer to the past. For 'militar,' you might say 'Ojalá militara en un ejército pacífico' (I wish I served in a peaceful army) or 'Si militara, lo haría con orgullo' (If I were to serve, I would do so with pride).
Notes on militar in the Imperfect Subjunctive
Militar is regular in the imperfect subjunctive. Both the -ra and -se forms are correct, though -ra is more common in many regions. Ex: militara, militaras, militara, militáramos, militarais, militaran.
Example Sentences
Si yo militara en ese entonces, habría sido diferente.
If I were serving then, it would have been different.
yo
Ella deseaba que tú militaras en la marina.
She wished that you would serve in the navy.
tú
El general pidió que todos militaran con lealtad.
The general asked that everyone serve with loyalty.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nosotros usaríamos el -ra form, aunque el -se también es válido.
We would use the -ra form, although the -se is also valid.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect indicative instead of the imperfect subjunctive.
Correct: Use 'militara' or 'militase' after expressions of doubt, desire, or in hypothetical clauses starting with 'si'.
Why: The subjunctive mood is required for non-factual or hypothetical statements.
Mistake: Incorrectly conjugating the nosotros form.
Correct: The correct nosotros form is 'militáramos' (or 'militásemos') with the stress on the 'a'.
Why: Many learners struggle with the stress placement and vowel changes in the nosotros imperfect subjunctive.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'militar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: milito
The present indicative of militar (milito, militas, milita, etc.) describes current or habitual actions.
Preterite
yo: milité
The preterite of militar (milité, militaste, militó, etc.) describes completed past actions.
Imperfect
yo: militaba
The imperfect of militar (militaba, militabas, militaba, etc.) describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Future
yo: militaré
The future tense of militar (militaré, militarás, militará, etc.) is regular and used for actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: militaría
The conditional of militar (militaría, militarías, militaría, etc.) expresses hypotheticals ('would') or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: milite
The present subjunctive of militar (milite, milites, militemos, militéis, militen) follows expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: milita
Imperative commands for militar: milita (tú), milite (usted), militemos (nosotros), militad (vosotros), militen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no milites
Negative commands for militar use the present subjunctive: no milites (tú), no milite (usted), no militemos (nosotros), no militéis (vosotros), no militen (ustedes).