portar Imperfect Conjugation
portar — to behave
The imperfect 'portaba', 'portabas', 'portaba' describes habitual or ongoing past behavior.
portar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of 'portar' to describe habitual or ongoing behavior in the past, or to set the scene. For example, 'Cuando era niño, me portaba muy bien con mis abuelos' (When I was a child, I used to behave very well with my grandparents).
Notes on portar in the Imperfect
'Portar' is regular in the imperfect tense. All forms follow the standard -ar imperfect conjugation: portaba, portabas, portaba, portábamos, portabais, portaban.
Example Sentences
Yo me portaba siempre con respeto.
I always behaved with respect.
yo
¿Cómo te portabas en la escuela primaria?
How did you used to behave in primary school?
tú
Ella se portaba tranquilamente mientras esperaba.
She behaved calmly while she waited.
él/ella/usted
Los estudiantes se portaban bien durante la clase.
The students behaved well during class.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of imperfect for ongoing past behavior, e.g., 'Me portaba bien cada día'.
Correct: Use the imperfect for habitual actions: 'Me portaba bien cada día'.
Why: The imperfect describes continuous or repeated actions in the past, not single completed events.
Mistake: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun 'se' with 'portar', e.g., 'Él portaba bien'.
Correct: Use the reflexive pronoun: 'Él se portaba bien'.
Why: 'Portarse' is a reflexive verb, and the pronoun is necessary for the meaning of 'to behave'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: porto
The present tense 'porto', 'portas', 'porta' describes habitual behavior or actions happening now.
Preterite
yo: porté
The preterite of 'portar' is regular: porté, portaste, portó, portamos, portasteis, portaron.
Future
yo: portaré
Future forms like 'portaré' (yo) and 'portarán' (ellos) predict or promise future behavior.
Conditional
yo: portaría
Conditional forms like 'portaría' (yo) express hypothetical behavior or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: porte
Present subjunctive forms like 'porte' (yo/él/ella/usted) express wishes, doubts, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: portara
The imperfect subjunctive, like 'portara' or 'portase', is for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: porta
Use imperative forms like 'porta' (tú) and 'porten' (ustedes) for direct commands with 'portar'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no portes
Negative commands use 'no' + present subjunctive, like 'no portes' (tú) or 'no porten' (ustedes).