recurrir Imperfect Conjugation
recurrir — to turn to
The imperfect 'recurría' describes ongoing or habitual past actions of turning to something/someone.
recurrir Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense of 'recurrir' to describe actions in the past that were habitual, ongoing, or set the scene. For example, 'When I was young, I always turned to my older sister for advice.'
Notes on recurrir in the Imperfect
'Recurrir' is regular in the imperfect indicative. The endings are standard for -ir verbs.
Example Sentences
De niño, recurría a los libros para aprender.
As a child, I used to turn to books to learn.
yo
Tú recurrías a él cada vez que tenías un problema.
You always turned to him whenever you had a problem.
tú
El director recurría a su experiencia para tomar decisiones.
The director would draw on his experience to make decisions.
él/ella/usted
Ellos recurrían a la misma estrategia una y otra vez.
They resorted to the same strategy over and over again.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite 'recurrió' when describing a habitual or ongoing past action.
Correct: Use the imperfect 'recurría' for past habits, e.g., 'Cuando era niño, recurría...'.
Why: The imperfect describes background and continuous actions in the past, while the preterite describes completed actions.
Mistake: Confusing the imperfect ending for 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted'.
Correct: Both 'recurría' (yo) and 'recurría' (él/ella/usted) are the same.
Why: This is a regular pattern; context usually clarifies the subject.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: recurro
The present tense 'recurro' is used for habitual actions or things happening now.
Preterite
yo: recurrí
The preterite of 'recurrir' is regular: 'recurrí', 'recurriste', 'recurrió', 'recorrimos', 'recurristeis', 'recurrieron'.
Future
yo: recurriré
The future tense 'recurriré' expresses future actions or probability.
Conditional
yo: recurriría
The conditional 'recurriría' is used for hypotheticals, polite requests, or future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: recurra
The present subjunctive 'recurra' is used after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: recurruriera
The imperfect subjunctive 'recurrira' or 'recurrriera' is used for past hypotheticals or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: recurre
Use 'recurre' (tú) and 'recurra' (usted) for direct commands with 'recurrir'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no recurras
Use 'no recurras' (tú) and 'no recurra' (usted) for negative commands with 'recurrir'.