obligar Imperfect Conjugation
obligar — to force
The imperfect of obligar is regular for -ar verbs: obligaba, obligabas, obligaba, obligábamos, obligabais, obligaban.
obligar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use this to describe ongoing past pressures, habitual obligations, or background circumstances in the past.
Notes on obligar in the Imperfect
Obligar is fully regular in the imperfect. Remember the accent on 'obligábamos'.
Example Sentences
De niño, mi madre me obligaba a dormir temprano.
As a child, my mother used to force me to sleep early.
él/ella/usted
Antes no nos obligaban a llevar identificación.
Before, they didn't force us to carry ID.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Siempre obligabas a tus amigos a jugar a tu manera.
You always forced your friends to play your way.
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'obligía' instead of 'obligaba'.
Correct: The endings for -ar verbs in the imperfect are -aba, not -ía.
Why: Learners often confuse -ar and -er/-ir endings in the imperfect tense.
Master Spanish verbs in context
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: obligo
The present tense of obligar is regular: obligo, obligas, obliga, obligamos, obligáis, obligan.
Preterite
yo: obligué
The preterite of obligar has a spelling change only in the 'yo' form: obligué, obligaste, obligó, obligamos, obligasteis, obligaron.
Future
yo: obligaré
The future of obligar is regular, adding endings to the infinitive: obligaré, obligarás, obligará, obligaremos, obligaréis, obligarán.
Conditional
yo: obligaría
The conditional of obligar is regular: obligaría, obligarías, obligaría, obligaríamos, obligaríais, obligarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: obligue
The present subjunctive of obligar requires a spelling change (g to gu) to keep the hard 'g' sound: obligue, obligues, obligue, obliguemos, obliguéis, obliguen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: obligara
The imperfect subjunctive of obligar is formed from the third-person plural preterite: obligara, obligaras, obligara, obligáramos, obligarais, obligaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: obliga
The imperative of obligar uses standard -ar endings, with a spelling change in formal and plural forms: obliga, obligue, obliguemos, obligad, obliguen.
Negative Imperative
yo: no obligues
The negative imperative of obligar uses the present subjunctive forms: no obligues, no obligue, no obliguemos, no obliguéis, no obliguen.