residir Imperfect Conjugation
residir — to reside
Residía, residías, residía, residíamos, residíais, residían. Use for ongoing or habitual past residence.
residir Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
The imperfect of 'residir' describes a state of living somewhere in the past that was ongoing or habitual, without a specific end point. It sets the scene: 'Cuando era niño, residía en el campo.' (When I was a child, I resided in the countryside.)
Notes on residir in the Imperfect
Residir is regular in the imperfect indicative. The endings are standard for -ir verbs: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían.
Example Sentences
Yo residía en Madrid cuando conocí a mi esposa.
I resided in Madrid when I met my wife.
yo
¿Tú residías en el extranjero en esa época?
Did you reside abroad at that time?
tú
Ellos residían en un pequeño apartamento.
They resided in a small apartment.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Antes, mi abuela residía con nosotros.
Before, my grandmother resided with us.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect for background description.
Correct: For ongoing past residence, use 'residía', e.g., 'Ella residía allí por años.'
Why: The imperfect describes continuous or habitual states in the past, while the preterite focuses on completed actions.
Mistake: Confusing the imperfect ending with the preterite for 'nosotros'.
Correct: The imperfect 'nosotros' form is 'residíamos', while the preterite is 'residimos'.
Why: The '-íamos' ending is characteristic of the imperfect tense for 'nosotros', clearly distinguishing it from the preterite '-imos'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: resido
Resido, resides, reside, residimos, residís, residen. Use for current or habitual residence.
Preterite
yo: residí
Residí, residiste, residió, residimos, residisteis, residieron. Use for completed past actions of residing.
Future
yo: residiré
Residiré, residirás, residirá, residiremos, residiréis, residirán. Use for future residence or probability.
Conditional
yo: residiría
Residiría, residirías, residiría, residiríamos, residiríais, residirían. Use for hypotheticals or polite requests about residence.
Present Subjunctive
yo: resida
Resida, residas, residamos, residan. Use for wishes, doubts, emotions, and impersonal expressions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: residiera
Residiera or residiese. Use for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests in the past.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: reside
Reside, residan, residamos, residid! Use imperative for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no residas
No residas, no resida, no residamos, no residáis, no residan. Use present subjunctive with 'no' for negative commands.