practicar Imperfect Conjugation
practicar — to practice
The imperfect of practicar is regular: practicaba, practicabas, practicaba, practicábamos, practicabais, practicaban.
practicar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use this to describe a habit you had in the past (e.g., 'I used to practice') or to set the scene.
Notes on practicar in the Imperfect
This verb is regular in the imperfect. Remember the accent on the 'nosotros' form.
Example Sentences
De niño, practicaba kárate.
As a child, I used to practice karate.
yo
Nosotros practicábamos mucho antes del concierto.
We were practicing a lot before the concert.
nosotros
Ellas practicaban ballet todas las tardes.
They used to practice ballet every afternoon.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: practicabamos
Correct: practicábamos
Why: All -ar verbs in the imperfect require an accent on the 'á' in the nosotros form.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'practicar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: practico
Practicar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense: practico, practicas, practica, etc.
Preterite
yo: practiqué
The preterite of practicar includes a spelling change in the 'yo' form (practiqué) to keep the 'k' sound.
Future
yo: practicaré
The future of practicar is formed by adding endings to the infinitive: practicaré, practicarás, practicará.
Conditional
yo: practicaría
The conditional uses the infinitive 'practicar' plus endings: practicaría, practicarías, practicaría.
Present Subjunctive
yo: practique
The present subjunctive of practicar uses 'qu' in all forms: practique, practiques, practique, etc.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: practicara
The imperfect subjunctive is built from the 'ellos' preterite: practicara, practicaras, practicara.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: practica
Use 'practica' (tú) or 'practique' (usted) to give direct orders to practice.
Negative Imperative
yo: no practiques
Negative commands always use the subjunctive: no practiques, no practique, no practiquemos.