pasear Imperfect Conjugation
pasear — to walk (a pet)
Ongoing or habitual past actions, like 'paseaba' (I used to walk / was walking).
pasear Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense for actions that were happening continuously in the past, or for habitual actions in the past. Think of it as setting the scene or describing background. 'Cuando era niño, paseaba en el parque todos los días.' (When I was a child, I used to walk in the park every day).
Notes on pasear in the Imperfect
Pasear is regular in the imperfect tense. All forms follow the standard -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Yo paseaba a mi perro cuando lo vi.
I was walking my dog when I saw him.
yo
Tú paseabas por la playa cada mañana.
You used to walk on the beach every morning.
tú
Ellos paseaban tranquilamente cuando empezó a llover.
They were walking peacefully when it started to rain.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Mi padre paseaba por el jardín mientras leía el periódico.
My father was walking in the garden while he read the newspaper.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect for ongoing past actions.
Correct: Use 'paseaba' for 'was walking', not 'paseé'.
Why: The imperfect describes the background or ongoing nature, while the preterite describes a completed event.
Mistake: Confusing the 'nosotros' imperfect ending.
Correct: The 'nosotros' ending is '-ábamos', so 'paseábamos'.
Why: This ending is standard for -ar verbs in the imperfect.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: paseo
Habitual actions like 'paseo' (I walk) or 'pasean' (they walk).
Preterite
yo: paseé
Completed past actions, like 'paseé' (I walked) or 'pasearon' (they walked).
Future
yo: pasearé
Actions that will happen, like 'pasearé' (I will walk).
Conditional
yo: pasearía
Hypothetical actions ('would'), polite requests, or future-in-the-past, like 'pasearía' (I would walk).
Present Subjunctive
yo: pasee
Expresses wishes, doubts, or emotions, like 'Espero que pasees' (I hope you walk).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: paseara
Past hypothetical or uncertain actions, like 'si paseara' (if I were to walk).
Affirmative Imperative
yo: pasea
Commands like 'pasea' (walk!) for tú, or 'paseen' for ustedes.
Negative Imperative
yo: no pasees
Negative commands like 'no pasees' (don't walk!) for tú, or 'no paseen' for ustedes.