mimar Imperfect Conjugation

When to Use the Imperfect

Use the imperfect tense of mimar to describe habitual actions in the past ('De niño, mi abuela siempre me mimaba.' - As a child, my grandmother always pampered me.) or ongoing actions in the past ('Mientras yo estudiaba, mi madre me mimaba con snacks.' - While I was studying, my mother was pampering me with snacks.)

Notes on mimar in the Imperfect

Mimar is regular in the imperfect indicative. The forms are made by taking the stem 'mim-' and adding the imperfect endings for -ar verbs: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban.

Example Sentences

• Cuando era pequeño, mi tía me mimaba mucho.

  When I was little, my aunt pampered me a lot.

  yo

• ¿Tú me mimabas cuando estabas aquí?

  Were you pampering me when you were here?

  tú

• Él mimaba a su perro todos los días.

  He pampered his dog every day.

  él/ella/usted

• Ellos se mimaban con masajes cada semana.

  They used to pamper themselves with massages every week.

  ellos/ellas/ustedes

• Nosotros nos mimábamos con postres caseros los domingos.

  We used to pamper ourselves with homemade desserts on Sundays.

  nosotros

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using the preterite 'mimó' for a habitual past action.

  Correct: Use the imperfect 'mimaba' for habits: 'Ella mimaba a su gato todos los días.'

  Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or repeated actions in the past, while the preterite describes completed, single events.

• Mistake: Confusing the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms, both 'mimaba'.

  Correct: Context usually makes it clear, but be mindful of the subject. 'Yo mimaba...' vs. 'Él mimaba...'.

  Why: These forms are identical, so the subject pronoun or surrounding context is essential for clarity.

Related Tenses