
nutrir Imperfect Conjugation
nutrir — to nourish
The imperfect of 'nutrir' is regular: nutría, nutrías, nutría, nutríamos, nutríais, nutrían.
nutrir Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of 'nutrir' to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, or to set the scene. Think 'used to nourish' or 'was nourishing'.
Notes on nutrir in the Imperfect
Nutrir is regular in the imperfect tense. The endings are standard for -ir verbs.
Example Sentences
Cuando era niño, mi abuela me nutría con comidas deliciosas.
When I was a child, my grandmother used to nourish me with delicious meals.
Tú siempre nutrías a los pájaros en el parque.
You always used to nourish the birds in the park.
tú
La lluvia nutría la tierra y las plantas crecían.
The rain was nourishing the earth and the plants were growing.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros nutríamos nuestra amistad con visitas frecuentes.
We were nourishing our friendship with frequent visits.
nosotros
Ellos nutrían la esperanza en tiempos difíciles.
They were nourishing hope in difficult times.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite 'nutrió' instead of the imperfect 'nutría' for ongoing past actions.
Correct: For descriptions or habitual past actions, use the imperfect: 'La lluvia nutría la tierra'.
Why: The imperfect describes background or continuous actions, while the preterite describes completed events.
Mistake: Confusing the imperfect 'nutría' (yo/él/ella/usted) with the preterite 'nutrió'.
Correct: The imperfect forms have no accent: 'nutría', whereas the preterite 'él/ella/usted' form has an accent: 'nutrió'.
Why: The accents are crucial for distinguishing between tenses and correct pronunciation.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'nutrir' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: nutro
The present tense of 'nutrir' is regular: nutro, nutres, nutre, nutrimos, nutrís, nutren.
Preterite
yo: nutrí
The preterite of 'nutrir' is regular: nutrí, nutriste, nutrió, nutrimos, nutristeis, nutrieron.
Future
yo: nutriré
The future tense of 'nutrir' is regular: nutriré, nutrirás, nutrirá, nutriremos, nutriréis, nutrirán.
Conditional
yo: nutriría
The conditional of 'nutrir' is regular: nutriría, nutrirías, nutriría, nutriríamos, nutriríais, nutrirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: nutra
The present subjunctive of 'nutrir' (nutra, nutras, nutramos, nutran) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: nutriera
The imperfect subjunctive of 'nutrir' (nutriera/nutriese, nutrieras/nutrieses, etc.) is used for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: nutre
Nutre (tú), nutrid (vosotros), nutra (usted), nutramos (nosotros), nutran (ustedes) are the commands for 'nutrir'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no nutras
Negative commands for 'nutrir' use the present subjunctive: no nutras (tú), no nutráis (vosotros), no nutra (usted), no nutramos (nosotros), no nutran (ustedes).