relevar Imperfect Conjugation
relevar — to relieve
The imperfect 'relevaba' (yo, él/ella/usted) describes ongoing or habitual past actions of relieving.
relevar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense to describe actions in the past that were ongoing, habitual, or served as background description. For 'relevar', it could describe a routine of changing shifts or a past situation where someone was constantly being relieved.
Notes on relevar in the Imperfect
Relevar is regular in the imperfect indicative tense. Its conjugation follows the standard pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Yo relevaba a mi padre en la tienda todos los domingos.
I used to relieve my father at the store every Sunday.
yo
¿Tú relevabas al portero cuando estudiabas?
Did you used to relieve the doorman when you studied?
tú
Él relevaba turnos mientras su esposa trabajaba.
He was changing shifts while his wife worked.
él/ella/usted
Ellos relevaban a los soldados cada cuatro horas.
They relieved the soldiers every four hours.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'relevaba' for a single completed action.
Correct: For a specific completed act of relieving, use the preterite form, like 'relevó'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, not single, completed events.
Mistake: Confusing 'relevábamos' (imperfect nosotros) with 'relevamos' (present/preterite nosotros).
Correct: Remember the double 'b' in the imperfect nosotros form: 'relevábamos'.
Why: The imperfect '-aba' stem is key to distinguishing it from the present/preterite form.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: relevo
The present tense 'relevo' (yo) or 'relevan' (ustedes) describes current actions or habits.
Preterite
yo: relevé
The preterite of 'relevar' is regular: 'relevé', 'relevaste', 'relevó', 'relevamos', 'relevasteis', 'relevaron'.
Future
yo: relevaré
The future tense 'relevaré' (yo) or 'relevarán' (ustedes) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: relevaría
The conditional 'relevaría' (yo) or 'relevarían' (ustedes) expresses 'would' actions or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: releve
The present subjunctive 'releve' (yo, él/ella/usted) or 'releven' (ustedes) is used for wishes, doubts, and emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: relevara
The imperfect subjunctive 'relevara' or 'relevara' is for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: releva
Use imperative forms like 'releva' (tú) and 'releven' (ustedes) for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no releves
Negative commands use 'no' plus the present subjunctive, e.g., 'no releves' (tú) or 'no releven' (ustedes).