obrar Imperfect Conjugation
obrar — to act
The imperfect of obrar is regular: obraba, obrabas, obraba, obrábamos, obrabais, obraban, for ongoing or habitual past actions.
obrar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of 'obrar' to describe actions or states in the past that were ongoing, habitual, or set the scene. For instance, 'Cuando era niño, obraba con mucha imaginación' means 'When I was a child, I acted with a lot of imagination.'
Notes on obrar in the Imperfect
Obrar is regular in the imperfect tense. All forms follow the standard -ar verb conjugation pattern.
Example Sentences
Yo obraba con cuidado en ese entonces.
I used to act carefully back then.
yo
Tú siempre obrabas de forma justa.
You always acted fairly.
tú
Él obraba como si nada hubiera pasado.
He acted as if nothing had happened.
él/ella/usted
Ellos obraban muy diferente en aquel tiempo.
They acted very differently back then.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite 'obró' instead of the imperfect 'obraba' for habitual past actions.
Correct: For things you used to do repeatedly, use the imperfect: 'Siempre obraba así' (I always acted like that).
Why: The imperfect describes continuous or repeated actions in the past, while the preterite describes completed ones.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'obrábamos'.
Correct: The correct form for 'nosotros' is 'obrábamos'.
Why: The accent is needed for correct pronunciation and to mark the stressed syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: obro
The present tense of obrar is regular: obro, obras, obra, obramos, obráis, obran, used for current or habitual actions.
Preterite
yo: obré
The preterite of obrar is regular: obré, obraste, obró, obramos, obrasteis, obraron, used for completed past actions.
Future
yo: obraré
The future tense of obrar is regular: obraré, obrarás, obrará, obraremos, obraréis, obrarán, for actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: obraría
The conditional of obrar is regular: obraría, obrarías, obraría, obraríamos, obraríais, obrarían, for hypotheticals and polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: obre
The present subjunctive of obrar (obre, obres, obremos, obréis, obren) follows expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: obrara
The imperfect subjunctive of obrar (obrara/obrara) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: obra
Use the imperative of obrar for direct commands: obra (tú), obre (usted), obremos (nosotros), obrad (vosotros), obren (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no obres
Negative commands for obrar use the present subjunctive: no obres (tú), no obre (usted), no obremos (nosotros), no obréis (vosotros), no obren (ustedes).