primar Imperfect Conjugation

When to Use the Imperfect

Use the imperfect of primar to describe a situation in the past where something habitually prevailed, or was in the process of prevailing, without a specific end point. It sets the scene or describes background conditions.

Notes on primar in the Imperfect

Primar is regular in the imperfect. The endings are standard for -ar verbs.

Example Sentences

• En esa época, primaba la honestidad.

  In that era, honesty prevailed.

  él/ella/usted

• Yo primaba en todos los juegos cuando era niño.

  I used to prevail in all the games when I was a child.

  yo

• Mientras tú estudiabas, primaba el silencio en la casa.

  While you were studying, silence prevailed in the house.

  él/ella/usted

• Ellos primaban en las discusiones familiares.

  They used to prevail in family discussions.

  ellos/ellas/ustedes

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using the preterite 'primó' instead of the imperfect 'primaba' for ongoing past situations.

  Correct: Use 'primaba' to describe what used to prevail, not 'primó'.

  Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, whereas the preterite describes completed actions.

• Mistake: Confusing the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms.

  Correct: Both 'primaba' (yo) and 'primaba' (él/ella/usted) are identical.

  Why: Context is key to differentiate between the first and third person singular in the imperfect tense.

Related Tenses