permanecer Imperfect Conjugation
permanecer — to stay
The imperfect of permanecer is regular: permanecía, permanecías, permanecía, etc.
permanecer Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe a state of remaining that was ongoing in the past, or to set the scene (e.g., 'The door used to stay open').
Notes on permanecer in the Imperfect
It follows the regular -er pattern for the imperfect with stressed 'ía' endings.
Example Sentences
De niño, permanecía horas leyendo en mi cuarto.
As a child, I would stay for hours reading in my room.
yo
Las fronteras permanecían abiertas antes de la guerra.
The borders used to remain open before the war.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nosotros permanecíamos unidos a pesar de los problemas.
We remained united despite the problems.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'í'.
Correct: permanecía
Why: All -er/-ir imperfect forms require an accent on the 'i' to create the correct sound.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: permanezco
Permanecer is irregular only in the 'yo' form: permanezco.
Preterite
yo: permanecí
The preterite of permanecer is regular: permanecí, permaneciste, permaneció, permanecimos, permanecisteis, permanecieron.
Future
yo: permaneceré
The future of permanecer is regular: permaneceré, permanecerás, permanecerá, etc.
Conditional
yo: permanecería
The conditional of permanecer is regular: permanecería, permanecerías, permanecería, etc.
Present Subjunctive
yo: permanezca
The present subjunctive uses the 'zc' stem: permanezca, permanezcas, permanezca, etc.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: permaneciera
The imperfect subjunctive is regular: permaneciera, permanecieras, permaneciera, etc.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: permanece
Commands for staying: permanece (tú), permanezca (usted), permanezcan (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no permanezcas
Negative commands always use the 'zc' stem: no permanezcas, no permanezca, no permanezcan.