rebotar Imperfect Conjugation

When to Use the Imperfect

Use the imperfect tense to describe actions or situations that were ongoing, habitual, or served as background in the past. For example, 'Cuando era niño, rebotaba la pelota todo el día' means 'When I was a child, I bounced the ball all day'.

Notes on rebotar in the Imperfect

Rebotar is a regular -ar verb in the imperfect indicative. All forms are regular.

Example Sentences

• Yo rebotaba la pelota mientras esperaba.

  I was bouncing the ball while I waited.

  yo

• ¿Tú rebotabas la pelota en el parque todos los días?

  Did you used to bounce the ball in the park every day?

  tú

• Él rebotaba la pelota distraídamente.

  He was bouncing the ball distractedly.

  él/ella/usted

• Nosotros rebotábamos la pelota hasta que oscurecía.

  We used to bounce the ball until it got dark.

  nosotros

• Ellos rebotaban la pelota sin parar.

  They were bouncing the ball non-stop.

  ellos/ellas/ustedes

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect for ongoing or habitual past actions, like 'Ayer rebotó la pelota todo el día'.

  Correct: Use the imperfect for continuous/habitual past actions: 'Ayer rebotaba la pelota todo el día'.

  Why: The preterite is for completed actions, while the imperfect describes the background or ongoing nature of past events.

• Mistake: Confusing imperfect endings, e.g., 'rebotéaba' instead of 'rebotaba'.

  Correct: The correct imperfect ending is '-aba' for yo/él/ella/usted and '-aban' for ellos/ellas/ustedes.

  Why: Incorrectly adding the preterite 'é' or other endings.

Related Tenses