rondar Imperfect Conjugation
rondar — to patrol
The imperfect of rondar (rondaba, rondabas, rondaba, rondábamos, rondabais, rondaban) describes ongoing or habitual past patrolling.
rondar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense for actions that were happening continuously in the past, or for habitual actions in the past. Think 'The guards used to patrol...' or 'He was circling the block when...'.
Notes on rondar in the Imperfect
Rondar is regular in the imperfect tense. All forms are derived from the infinitive stem 'rond-' and follow the standard -ar imperfect endings.
Example Sentences
Cuando era joven, rondaba el centro de la ciudad.
When I was young, I used to patrol the city center.
yo
Tú rondabas la zona sin que nadie te viera.
You were patrolling the area without anyone seeing you.
tú
El policía rondaba la calle a caballo.
The policeman was patrolling the street on horseback.
él/ella/usted
Ellos rondaban el perímetro durante la noche.
They patrolled the perimeter during the night.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'rondaba' for a single, completed past action.
Correct: Use the preterite for completed actions: 'Rondó el bloque' (He patrolled the block).
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, not finished ones with a clear endpoint.
Mistake: Confusing the imperfect 'rondábamos' with the preterite 'rondamos'.
Correct: Remember that imperfect describes ongoing/habitual, preterite describes completed: 'Ayer rondábamos' (Yesterday we were patrolling) vs. 'Ayer rondamos' (Yesterday we patrolled).
Why: The identical forms require context and understanding of tense usage to differentiate.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: rondo
The present tense of rondar (rondo, rondas, ronda, rondamos, rondáis, rondan) describes current or habitual actions.
Preterite
yo: rondé
The preterite of rondar is regular: rondé, rondaste, rondó, rondamos, rondasteis, rondaron.
Future
yo: rondaré
The future tense of rondar (rondaré, rondarás, rondará, rondaremos, rondaréis, rondarán) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: rondaría
The conditional of rondar (rondaría, rondarías, rondaría, rondaríamos, rondaríais, rondarían) expresses 'would' actions or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: ronde
The present subjunctive of rondar (ronde, rondes, rondemos, rondéis, ronden) is used for wishes, doubts, and emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: rondara
The imperfect subjunctive of rondar (rondara/rondase) is used for past hypotheticals or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: ronda
The imperative of rondar is mostly regular, with 'ronda' for tú and 'rondad' for vosotros.
Negative Imperative
yo: no rondes
Negative commands for rondar use the present subjunctive: no rondes, no ronde, no rondemos, no rondéis, no ronden.