opinar Imperfect Conjugation
opinar — to think
The imperfect of 'opinar' is regular: opinaba, opinabas, opinaba, opinábamos, opinabais, opinaban.
opinar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe ongoing or habitual actions of giving opinions in the past, or to set the background scene. It describes what people used to think or were thinking.
Notes on opinar in the Imperfect
The verb 'opinar' is regular in the imperfect indicative tense. All conjugations follow the standard -ar imperfect endings.
Example Sentences
Cuando era joven, yo opinaba muy diferente.
When I was young, I used to think very differently.
yo
¿Tú siempre opinabas lo mismo que tu padre?
Did you always think the same as your father?
tú
Ella opinaba que la decisión era correcta.
She thought the decision was correct.
él/ella/usted
En esa época, todos opinaban que era imposible.
At that time, everyone thought it was impossible.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite 'opinó' for a habitual past opinion.
Correct: Use 'opinaba' to describe what someone used to think regularly.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, whereas the preterite describes completed actions.
Mistake: Confusing the 'nosotros' and 'ellos/ellas/ustedes' forms.
Correct: The forms are 'opinábamos' (nosotros) and 'opinaban' (ellos/ellas/ustedes).
Why: These endings are distinct and crucial for clarity.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: opino
The present tense of 'opinar' is regular: opino, opinas, opina, opinamos, opináis, opinan.
Preterite
yo: opiné
The preterite of 'opinar' is regular: opiné, opinaste, opinó, opinamos, opinasteis, opinaron.
Future
yo: opinaré
The future tense of 'opinar' is regular: opinaré, opinarás, opinará, opinaremos, opinaréis, opinarán.
Conditional
yo: opinaría
The conditional of 'opinar' is regular: opinaría, opinarías, opinaría, opinaríamos, opinaríais, opinarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: opine
The present subjunctive ('opine', 'opines', 'opine', 'opinemos', 'opinen') is used for desires, doubts, emotions, and impersonal expressions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: opinara
The imperfect subjunctive ('opinara', 'opinaras', 'opinara', 'opináramos', 'opinarais', 'opinaran') is for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: opina
Use 'opina', 'opine', 'opinemos', 'opinen', 'opina'd' for direct commands with 'opinar'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no opines
Negative commands like 'no opines', 'no opine', 'no opinemos', 'no opinen', 'no opinéis' use the present subjunctive.