persuadir Imperfect Conjugation
persuadir — to persuade
The imperfect of persuadir (persuadía, persuadías, persuadía, persuadíamos, persuadíais, persuadían) describes past attempts to convince or background context.
persuadir Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense of 'persuadir' to describe ongoing or habitual attempts to persuade someone in the past, or to set the scene. It's about the process or background, not a completed act.
Notes on persuadir in the Imperfect
Persuadir is regular in the imperfect tense. All forms follow the standard conjugation pattern for regular -ir verbs.
Example Sentences
Cuando era joven, me persuadía a mí mismo de que todo era posible.
When I was young, I used to persuade myself that anything was possible.
yo
Él siempre nos persuadía para que hiciéramos más ejercicio.
He was always trying to persuade us to exercise more.
él/ella/usted
Los políticos nos persuadían con promesas vacías.
The politicians were persuading us with empty promises.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
¿Tú me persuadías para que te ayudara?
Were you trying to persuade me to help you?
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of imperfect: 'Él me persuadió para que hiciera más ejercicio'.
Correct: If he was *always* doing it or it was an ongoing situation, use the imperfect: 'Él me persuadía...'.
Why: The imperfect describes continuous or habitual actions in the past, whereas the preterite describes a single, completed action.
Mistake: Confusing the forms: 'Nosotros persuadían'.
Correct: The correct nosotros form is 'persuadíamos'.
Why: This is a regular verb, and the conjugation pattern must be followed correctly for each person.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: persuado
The present tense of persuadir (persuado, persuades, persuade, persuadimos, persuadís, persuaden) describes current or habitual attempts to convince.
Preterite
yo: persuadí
The preterite of persuadir is regular: persuadí, persuadiste, persuadió, persuadimos, persuadisteis, persuadieron.
Future
yo: persuadiré
The future tense of persuadir (persuadiré, persuadirás, persuadirá, persuadiremos, persuadiréis, persuadirán) indicates future attempts to convince.
Conditional
yo: persuadiría
The conditional of persuadir (persuadiría, persuadirías, persuadiría, persuadiríamos, persuadiríais, persuadirían) expresses 'would' persuade.
Present Subjunctive
yo: persuada
The present subjunctive of persuadir (persuada, persuadas, persuada, persuadamos, persuadáis, persuadan) is used after wishes, doubts, and emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: persuadiera
The imperfect subjunctive of persuadir (persuadiera/persuadiera) is used for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: persuade
The imperative of persuadir is mostly regular, with commands like 'persuade' (tú) and 'persuadan' (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no persuadas
Negative commands for persuadir use the present subjunctive: 'no persuadas' (tú), 'no persuadan' (ustedes).