saldar Imperfect Conjugation
saldar — to pay off
The imperfect of saldar describes ongoing or habitual past actions: saldaba, saldabas, saldábamos, saldaban.
saldar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of saldar to describe actions of paying off or settling that were ongoing or habitual in the past. It sets the scene or describes background situations, like 'I used to pay off my loans monthly'.
Notes on saldar in the Imperfect
Saldar is regular in the imperfect tense. The conjugations follow the standard pattern for -ar verbs in this tense.
Example Sentences
Yo saldaba mis deudas poco a poco cada mes.
I used to pay off my debts little by little each month.
yo
¿Tú saldabas tus gastos con tu sueldo?
Did you used to cover your expenses with your salary?
tú
Él saldaba el alquiler siempre el primer día.
He always settled the rent on the first day.
él/ella/usted
Antes, nosotros saldábamos las cuentas en efectivo.
Before, we used to pay the bills in cash.
nosotros
Ellos saldaban sus deudas antes de la fecha límite.
They were settling their debts before the deadline.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single, completed past action.
Correct: For completed actions, use the preterite: 'Ayer saldaba mi cuenta' is wrong; use 'Ayer saldé mi cuenta'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, not single completed events.
Mistake: Confusing imperfect and preterite when describing past events.
Correct: Use imperfect for descriptions/habits ('saldaba') and preterite for completed actions ('saldó').
Why: Understanding the difference is crucial for accurate past-tense storytelling.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: saldo
The present tense of saldar indicates current actions or habits: saldo, saldas, salda, saldamos, saldáis, saldan.
Preterite
yo: saldé
The preterite of saldar describes completed past actions: saldé, saldaste, saldó, saldamos, saldasteis, saldaron.
Future
yo: saldaré
The future tense of saldar indicates actions that will happen: saldaré, saldarás, saldará, saldaremos, saldaréis, saldarán.
Conditional
yo: saldaría
The conditional of saldar expresses hypothetical actions ('would pay off'): saldaría, saldarías, saldaríamos, saldarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: salde
The present subjunctive of saldar is used for wishes, doubts, and recommendations: salde, saldes, saldemos, salden.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: saldara
The imperfect subjunctive of saldar expresses past hypotheticals or wishes: saldara, saldaras, saldáramos, saldaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: salda
The imperative of saldar gives direct commands: salda (tú), salde (usted), saldemos (nosotros), salden (ustedes), saldad (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no saldes
Negative commands for saldar use the present subjunctive: no saldes (tú), no salde (usted), no saldemos (nosotros), no salden (ustedes), no saldéis (vosotros).