respectar Imperfect Conjugation
respectar — to concern
The imperfect of respectar is regular: respectaba, respectabas, respectaba, respectábamos, respectabais, respectaban.
respectar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of respectar to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, or to set the scene. For example, 'When I was young, I always respected my grandmother's wishes'.
Notes on respectar in the Imperfect
Respectar is regular in the imperfect. All forms are derived from the infinitive stem 'respecta-'.
Example Sentences
Yo siempre respetaba las decisiones de mis padres.
I always respected my parents' decisions.
yo
¿Respetabas las reglas cuando eras niño?
Did you respect the rules when you were a child?
tú
El profesor respetaba a todos sus alumnos.
The teacher respected all of his students.
él/ella/usted
Respetábamos la hora de la siesta.
We respected the siesta hour.
nosotros
Ellos respetaban las tradiciones locales.
They respected the local traditions.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect for habitual past actions.
Correct: Use 'respetaba' for ongoing or repeated actions in the past, like 'I used to respect...'.
Why: The imperfect describes background and continuity, while the preterite describes completed events.
Mistake: Confusing the imperfect 'respetaba' with the imperfect subjunctive 'respetara'.
Correct: 'Respetaba' is indicative (facts/description), 'respetara' is subjunctive (hypothetical/doubt).
Why: They sound similar but have very different grammatical functions and uses.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'respectar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: respecto
The present indicative of respectar is regular: respeto, respetas, respeta, respetamos, respetáis, respetan.
Preterite
yo: respecté
The preterite of respectar is regular: respecté, respetaste, respetó, respetamos, respetasteis, respectaron.
Future
yo: respectaré
The future of respectar is regular: respetaré, respetarás, respetará, respetaremos, respetaréis, respetarán.
Conditional
yo: respectaría
The conditional of respectar is regular: respetaría, respetarías, respetaría, respetaríamos, respetaríais, respetarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: respecte
The present subjunctive of respectar is regular: respete, respetes, respetemos, respetéis, respeten.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: respectara
The imperfect subjunctive of respectar uses -ra or -se endings: respectara, respectaras, respectase, etc.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: respecta
The imperative of respectar is regular: respeta, respete, respetemos, respetad, respeten.
Negative Imperative
yo: no respectes
The negative imperative of respectar uses 'no' + present subjunctive: no respetes, no respete, no respetemos, no respetéis, no respeten.