reclutar Imperfect Conjugation
reclutar — to recruit
The imperfect of reclutar (reclutaba, reclutabas, etc.) describes past habits or ongoing actions.
reclutar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense with 'reclutar' to describe habitual actions in the past ('When I was younger, I used to recruit for the club') or to set the scene for another past event ('The company was recruiting new staff when the economic crisis hit').
Notes on reclutar in the Imperfect
'Reclutar' is regular in the imperfect tense. The forms follow the standard pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Antes, yo reclutaba a muchos estudiantes para el voluntariado.
Before, I used to recruit many students for volunteering.
yo
Mientras ella reclutaba, yo organizaba los documentos.
While she was recruiting, I was organizing the documents.
¿Ustedes reclutaban personal nuevo cada verano?
Did you all used to recruit new staff every summer?
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Mi padre reclutaba jugadores para el equipo local.
My father recruited players for the local team.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros reclutábamos a los mejores para nuestro equipo de debate.
We used to recruit the best for our debate team.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite ('reclutó') instead of the imperfect ('reclutaba') for a past habit or ongoing action.
Correct: Use 'Él reclutaba' for a repeated action, not 'Él reclutó'.
Why: The imperfect describes habitual or ongoing actions, while the preterite describes completed events.
Mistake: Confusing 'reclutaban' (ellos/ellas/ustedes) with 'reclutábamos' (nosotros).
Correct: 'Reclutaban' is for 'they/you all', and 'reclutábamos' is for 'we'.
Why: These are distinct pronouns with different verb endings.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: recluto
Use the present tense 'recluto', 'reclutas', 'recluta', 'reclutamos', 'reclutáis', 'reclutan' for current or habitual recruiting actions.
Preterite
yo: recluté
The preterite of reclutar is regular: recluté, reclutaste, reclutó, reclutamos, reclutasteis, reclutaron.
Future
yo: reclutaré
The future tense 'reclutaré', 'reclutarás', etc., indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: reclutaría
The conditional 'reclutaría', 'reclutarías', etc., expresses 'would' actions or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: reclute
Use 'reclute', 'reclutes', 'reclutemos', 'recluten' after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: reclutara
The imperfect subjunctive (reclutara/reclutase) is for past hypothetical situations or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: recluta
Use 'recluta', 'reclute', 'reclutemos', 'reclutad', 'recluten' for direct commands with reclutar.
Negative Imperative
yo: no reclutes
Negative commands use 'no' + present subjunctive: no reclutes, no reclute, no reclutemos, no reclutéis, no recluten.