peinar Imperfect Conjugation
peinar — to comb
Peinaba, peinabas, peinaba, peinábamos, peinabais, peinaban describe ongoing or habitual past hair combing.
peinar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense for ongoing actions in the past (like constantly combing your hair) or habitual actions (like always combing your hair before bed). It sets the scene.
Notes on peinar in the Imperfect
Peinar is regular in the imperfect indicative. All endings are standard for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Yo me peinaba el pelo largo cuando era niña.
I used to comb my long hair when I was a child.
yo
¿Tú te peinabas con un cepillo especial?
Did you (habitually) comb your hair with a special brush?
tú
Él se peinaba cada mañana antes de ir al trabajo.
He used to comb his hair every morning before going to work.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros nos peinábamos mientras hablábamos.
We were combing our hair while we were talking.
nosotros
Vosotros os peinabais con el peine de la abuela.
You all used to comb your hair with grandma's comb.
vosotros
Ellos se peinaban el pelo rizado con dificultad.
They were combing their curly hair with difficulty.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite 'peinó' instead of the imperfect 'peinaba' for a continuous past action.
Correct: He was combing his hair = Él se peinaba. He combed his hair (and finished) = Él se peinó.
Why: The imperfect describes an ongoing or habitual past action, while the preterite describes a completed one.
Mistake: Confusing the imperfect 'peinaba' with the imperfect subjunctive 'peinara'.
Correct: Use 'peinaba' for factual past descriptions and 'peinara' for hypothetical or unreal past situations.
Why: These are different moods serving different grammatical functions.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: peino
Peino, peinas, peina, peinamos, peináis, peinan are used for current actions and habits with peinar.
Preterite
yo: peiné
Peiné, peinaste, peinó, peinamos, peinasteis, peinaron are the completed past actions for peinar.
Future
yo: peinaré
Peinaré, peinarás, peinará, peinaremos, peinaréis, peinarán express future actions with peinar.
Conditional
yo: peinaría
Peinaría, peinarías, peinaría, peinaríamos, peinaríais, peinarían express hypothetical or polite past actions with peinar.
Present Subjunctive
yo: peine
Peine, peines, peinemos, peinéis, peinen are the present subjunctive forms of peinar.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: peinara
The imperfect subjunctive of peinar has two forms, like peinara/peinase and peinara/peinase.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: peina
Peina, peine, peinemos, peinad, peinen are the affirmative commands for peinar.
Negative Imperative
yo: no peines
No peines, no peine, no peinemos, no peinéis, no peinen are the negative commands for peinar.