nadar Imperfect Conjugation
nadar — to swim
The imperfect of nadar is regular: nadaba, nadabas, nadaba, nadábamos, nadabais, nadaban.
nadar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense of 'nadar' to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past ('I used to swim every day') or to set the scene ('The water was cold when we swam').
Notes on nadar in the Imperfect
Nadar is regular in the imperfect tense. All forms are regular and follow the standard -ar imperfect pattern.
Example Sentences
Cuando era niño, yo nadaba en la piscina todos los días.
When I was a child, I swam in the pool every day.
yo
¿Tú nadabas en el mar cuando vivías en la costa?
Did you swim in the sea when you lived on the coast?
tú
Ella nadaba tranquilamente mientras los demás corrían.
She was swimming peacefully while the others ran.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros nadábamos juntos en verano.
We used to swim together in the summer.
nosotros
Ellos nadaban a pesar del frío.
They were swimming despite the cold.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite ('nadó') instead of the imperfect for ongoing past actions.
Correct: Use 'nadaba' for actions that were happening over a period or were habitual in the past.
Why: The imperfect describes background or ongoing actions, while the preterite describes completed events.
Mistake: Confusing the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms.
Correct: Both are 'nadaba' and are identical.
Why: Context is needed to distinguish who was swimming.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: nado
The present indicative of nadar is regular: nado, nadas, nada, nadamos, nadáis, nadan.
Preterite
yo: nadé
The preterite of nadar is regular: nadé, nadaste, nadó, nadamos, nadasteis, nadaron.
Future
yo: nadaré
The future of nadar is regular: nadaré, nadarás, nadará, nadaremos, nadaréis, nadarán.
Conditional
yo: nadaría
The conditional of nadar is regular: nadaría, nadarías, nadaría, nadaríamos, nadaríais, nadarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: nade
The present subjunctive of nadar is nade (yo/él/ella/usted), nades (tú), nademos (nosotros), nadéis (vosotros), naden (ellos/ellas/ustedes).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: nadara
The imperfect subjunctive of nadar is nadara/nadase (yo/él/ella/usted), nadaras/nadases (tú), nadáramos/nadásemos (nosotros), nadarais/nadaseis (vosotros), nadaran/nadase (ellos/ellas/ustedes).
Affirmative Imperative
yo: nada
The imperative of nadar is nada (tú), nade (usted), nademos (nosotros), nadad (vosotros), naden (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no nades
The negative imperative of nadar uses the present subjunctive: no nades (tú), no nade (usted), no nademos (nosotros), no nadéis (vosotros), no naden (ustedes).