remar Imperfect Conjugation

When to Use the Imperfect

Use the imperfect for ongoing or habitual actions of rowing in the past. It sets the scene: 'The sun was shining and we were rowing,' or describes repeated actions: 'He used to row competitively every summer.' It focuses on the duration or repetition, not the completion.

Notes on remar in the Imperfect

Remar is regular in the imperfect tense. The forms are consistently built from the infinitive stem 'rem-' plus the standard imperfect endings.

Example Sentences

• Yo remaba en el lago cuando era niño.

  I used to row on the lake when I was a child.

  yo

• ¿Tú remabas en el equipo de la escuela?

  Did you row on the school team? (Were you rowing on the school team?)

  tú

• Ella remaba tranquilamente mientras el sol se ponía.

  She was rowing peacefully as the sun was setting.

  él/ella/usted

• Nosotros remábamos juntos todos los fines de semana.

  We used to row together every weekend.

  nosotros

• Ellos remaban en silencio, concentrados.

  They were rowing in silence, concentrated.

  ellos/ellas/ustedes

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single completed action in the past.

  Correct: For completed actions, use the preterite: 'Remé ayer' (I rowed yesterday), not 'Remaba ayer'.

  Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, while the preterite describes actions that were completed at a specific time.

• Mistake: Confusing the nosotros imperfect 'remábamos' with the present.

  Correct: The imperfect 'remábamos' clearly indicates a past habit or ongoing action, distinct from the present 'remamos'.

  Why: This is a characteristic of regular -ar verbs where the imperfect nosotros form is unique and clearly indicates past tense.

Related Tenses