obligar Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
obligar — to force
The imperfect subjunctive of obligar is formed from the third-person plural preterite: obligara, obligaras, obligara, obligáramos, obligarais, obligaran.
obligar Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
Use this for hypothetical situations involving pressure or requirements, often in 'if' clauses or when the main verb is in the past.
Notes on obligar in the Imperfect Subjunctive
This tense is regular based on the preterite stem, but remember the accent on the 'nosotros' form (obligáramos).
Example Sentences
Si me obligaran a elegir, escogería este.
If they forced me to choose, I would choose this one.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Me gustaría que no nos obligaras a participar.
I would like it if you didn't force us to participate.
tú
Fue una pena que me obligara a mentir.
It was a shame that he forced me to lie.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on obligáramos.
Correct: The correct form is obligáramos.
Why: The nosotros form of the imperfect subjunctive always carries an accent on the third-to-last syllable.
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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.
Imperfect
yo: obligaba
The imperfect of obligar is regular for -ar verbs: obligaba, obligabas, obligaba, obligábamos, obligabais, obligaban.
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.
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.