sabotear Imperfect Conjugation
sabotear — to sabotage
The imperfect of sabotear (saboteaba, saboteabas, saboteaba, saboteábamos, saboteabais, saboteaban) describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
sabotear Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense for ongoing actions in the past, habitual actions, or to set the scene. For 'sabotear,' it describes a continuous act of sabotage or a repeated behavior in the past.
Notes on sabotear in the Imperfect
Sabotear is regular in the imperfect tense.
Example Sentences
Yo saboteaba la máquina cada semana.
I used to sabotage the machine every week.
yo
¿Tú saboteabas las fiestas de tus amigos?
Were you sabotaging your friends' parties?
tú
El espía saboteaba la información en secreto.
The spy was secretly sabotaging the information.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros saboteábamos las reglas del juego.
We were sabotaging the rules of the game.
nosotros
Ellos saboteaban la economía desde dentro.
They were sabotaging the economy from within.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single, completed past action.
Correct: For a specific, completed sabotage, use the preterite: 'Saboteó el plan'.
Why: The imperfect describes duration or repetition, not a finished event.
Mistake: Confusing the imperfect 'saboteábamos' with the preterite 'saboteamos'.
Correct: Remember that 'saboteábamos' (imperfect) implies ongoing or habitual action, while 'saboteamos' (preterite) implies a completed action.
Why: These tenses have distinct meanings for past events.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: saboteo
The present tense (saboteo, saboteas, sabotea, saboteamos, saboteáis, sabotean) describes current actions, habits, or general truths.
Preterite
yo: saboteé
The preterite of sabotear is regular: saboteé, saboteaste, saboteó, saboteamos, saboteasteis, sabotearon.
Future
yo: sabotearé
The future tense (sabotearé, sabotearás, saboteará, sabotearemos, sabotearéis, sabotearán) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: sabotearía
The conditional (sabotearía, sabotearías, sabotearía, sabotearíamos, sabotearíais, sabotearían) expresses hypotheticals ('would') or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: sabotee
The present subjunctive (sabotee/sabotees/sabotee/saboteemos/saboteéis/saboteen) expresses wishes, doubts, emotions, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: saboteara
The imperfect subjunctive (saboteara/sabotearas/saboteara/saboteáramos/sabotearais/sabotearan) expresses past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: sabotea
Sabotea! commands are direct: sabotea (tú), sabotee (usted), saboteemos (nosotros), saboteen (ustedes), sabotead (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no sabotees
Negative commands use 'no' + present subjunctive: no sabotees (tú), no sabotee (usted), no saboteemos (nosotros), no saboteen (ustedes), no saboteéis (vosotros).