parpadear Imperfect Conjugation

When to Use the Imperfect

Use the imperfect of 'parpadear' to describe habitual or ongoing actions in the past, or to set the scene. For example, 'He used to blink a lot' or 'The lights were blinking.'

Notes on parpadear in the Imperfect

Parpadear is regular in the imperfect tense. The conjugations follow the standard pattern for -ar verbs.

Example Sentences

• Yo parpadeaba cada vez que entraba en esa habitación.

  I used to blink every time I entered that room.

  yo

• Tú parpadeabas mucho cuando te daba el sol en los ojos.

  You were blinking a lot when the sun hit your eyes.

  tú

• La luz del coche parpadeaba.

  The car's light was blinking.

  él/ella/usted

• Nosotros parpadeábamos por el humo.

  We were blinking because of the smoke.

  nosotros

• Ellos parpadeaban nerviosamente durante la presentación.

  They were blinking nervously during the presentation.

  ellos/ellas/ustedes

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using the preterite 'parpadeó' instead of the imperfect 'parpadeaba' for ongoing or habitual past actions.

  Correct: Use 'parpadeaba' for descriptions or repeated actions in the past.

  Why: The imperfect describes background or continuous actions, while the preterite describes completed actions.

• Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'nosotros' form 'parpadeábamos'.

  Correct: The correct form is 'parpadeábamos'.

  Why: The accent shows where the stress falls in the word.

Related Tenses