oscurecer Imperfect Conjugation
oscurecer — to get dark
Oscurecer is regular in the imperfect: oscurecía, oscurecías, oscurecía, oscurecíamos, oscurecíais, oscurecían.
oscurecer Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe the process of it getting dark in the background of a story or to talk about how early it used to get dark in your hometown.
Notes on oscurecer in the Imperfect
This tense is regular. All forms have an accent on the 'í'.
Example Sentences
Ya oscurecía cuando llegamos a la cabaña.
It was already getting dark when we arrived at the cabin.
él/ella/usted
Antes, las calles se oscurecían más temprano.
Before, the streets used to get dark earlier.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Mientras caminábamos, el cielo se oscurecía poco a poco.
While we were walking, the sky was darkening little by little.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: oscurecia
Correct: oscurecía
Why: All -er and -ir verbs in the imperfect require a written accent on the 'i'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: oscurezco
Oscurecer follows the -cer/-cir pattern: the 'yo' form is oscurezco, while other forms are regular.
Preterite
yo: oscurecí
Oscurecer is completely regular in the preterite: oscurecí, oscureciste, oscureció, oscurecimos, oscurecisteis, oscurecieron.
Future
yo: oscureceré
Oscurecer is regular in the future: oscureceré, oscurecerás, oscurecerá, oscureceremos, oscureceréis, oscurecerán.
Conditional
yo: oscurecería
Oscurecer is regular in the conditional: oscurecería, oscurecerías, oscurecería, oscureceríamos, oscureceríais, oscurecerían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: oscurezca
The present subjunctive uses the 'zc' stem for all forms: oscurezca, oscurezcas, oscurezca, oscurezcamos, oscurezcáis, oscurezcan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: oscureciera
Oscurecer is regular in the imperfect subjunctive, using the 'ra' or 'se' forms: oscureciera, oscurecieras, etc.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: oscurece
The imperative uses 'oscurece' (tú) and 'oscurezca' (usted/ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no oscurezcas
The negative imperative always uses the present subjunctive forms with 'no'.