pesar Imperfect Conjugation
pesar — to weigh
The imperfect of pesar (pesaba, pesabas...) describes ongoing or habitual past actions, like 'I used to weigh' or 'it was weighing'.
pesar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense for actions that were happening continuously in the past, or actions that happened habitually. It sets the scene or describes background information. For 'pesar', it could be 'He used to weigh the goods every morning' or 'The package was weighing down the scale'.
Notes on pesar in the Imperfect
Pesar is regular in the imperfect indicative tense. It follows the standard pattern for -ar verbs, with the stem 'pes-' and the endings '-aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban'.
Example Sentences
Yo me pesaba todas las mañanas.
I used to weigh myself every morning.
yo
Tú pesabas la comida para la dieta.
You were weighing the food for the diet.
tú
El camión pesaba toneladas.
The truck weighed tons.
él/ella/usted
Ellos pesaban las frutas en el mercado.
They were weighing the fruits at the market.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite for ongoing past actions.
Correct: Use 'Pesaba' for continuous actions, not 'Pesó'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, while the preterite describes completed actions.
Mistake: Confusing the 'nosotros' imperfect form.
Correct: It's 'pesábamos', not 'pesamos' (which is present/preterite) or 'peséabamos'.
Why: Remember the '-ábamos' ending for the imperfect nosotros form.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: peso
The present tense of pesar (peso, pesas...) describes actions happening now, habitual actions, or general truths.
Preterite
yo: pesé
The preterite of pesar (pesé, pesaste...) is used for completed actions in the past, like 'I weighed' or 'it weighed' at a specific moment.
Future
yo: pesaré
The future tense of pesar (pesar, pesará...) indicates actions that will happen or expresses probability.
Conditional
yo: pesaría
The conditional of pesar (pesaría, pesarías...) expresses hypothetical outcomes ('would weigh') or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: pese
The present subjunctive of pesar (pesa, peses...) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: pesara
The imperfect subjunctive of pesar (pesara, pesaras...) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: pesa
Use the imperative of pesar for direct commands like 'weigh!' or 'weigh!'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no peses
Use the negative imperative of pesar with 'no' and the present subjunctive, like 'no peses' (don't weigh).