prevalecer Imperfect Conjugation
prevalecer — to prevail
Prevalecer is regular in the imperfect: prevalecía, prevalecías, prevalecía, prevalecíamos, prevalecíais, prevalecían.
prevalecer Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe a state of dominance or a trend that was ongoing in the past without a specific end.
Notes on prevalecer in the Imperfect
It is regular. All forms have an accent on the 'í' of the -ía ending.
Example Sentences
En esa época, prevalecía el estilo gótico.
At that time, the Gothic style prevailed.
él/ella/usted
Antes prevalecían las leyes antiguas.
Before, ancient laws used to prevail.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Sentíamos que nuestra voluntad prevalecía.
We felt that our will was prevailing.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: prevalecia
Correct: prevalecía
Why: All imperfect endings for -er verbs require an accent on the 'i'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: prevalezco
Prevalecer is irregular in the first person (yo prevalezco) but follows regular -er patterns for all other forms.
Preterite
yo: prevalecí
Prevalecer is regular in the preterite: prevalecí, prevaleciste, prevaleció, prevalecimos, prevalecisteis, prevalecieron.
Future
yo: prevaleceré
Prevalecer is regular in the future: prevaleceré, prevalecerás, prevalecerá, prevaleceremos, prevaleceréis, prevalecerán.
Conditional
yo: prevalecería
Prevalecer is regular in the conditional: prevalecería, prevalecerías, prevalecería, prevaleceríamos, prevaleceríais, prevalecerían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: prevalezca
The present subjunctive uses the 'zc' stem from the 'yo' form: prevalezca, prevalezcas, etc.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: prevaleciera
The imperfect subjunctive is regular based on the preterite stem: prevaleciera, prevalecieras, etc.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: prevalece
The imperative uses 'prevalece' (tú) and the 'zc' forms for formal commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no prevalezcas
The negative imperative always uses the present subjunctive forms with 'no'.