salvar Imperfect Conjugation
salvar — to save
The imperfect of salvar follows the standard -aba pattern: salvaba, salvabas, salvaba, salvábamos, salvabais, salvaban.
salvar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe a habitual action of saving in the past or to set the scene (e.g., 'The hero was saving people when...').
Notes on salvar in the Imperfect
Salvar is regular in the imperfect. Remember the accent on the 'nosotros' form: salvábamos.
Example Sentences
Cuando era niño, siempre salvaba a los insectos de la piscina.
When I was a child, I always used to save insects from the pool.
yo
Ustedes salvaban mucha comida de la basura.
You all used to save a lot of food from the trash.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nosotros salvábamos dinero cada semana para el viaje.
We were saving money every week for the trip.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: salvaba (without accent) for nosotros.
Correct: salvábamos
Why: All -ar verbs in the imperfect require an accent on the 'á' in the nosotros form.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: salvo
Salvar is a regular -ar verb in the present: salvo, salvas, salva, salvamos, salváis, salvan.
Preterite
yo: salvé
Salvar is regular in the preterite: salvé, salvaste, salvó, salvamos, salvasteis, salvaron.
Future
yo: salvaré
The future of salvar uses the infinitive as the stem: salvaré, salvarás, salvará, salvaremos, salvaréis, salvarán.
Conditional
yo: salvaría
The conditional of salvar is regular, adding -ía endings to the infinitive: salvaría, salvarías, salvaría, salvaríamos, salvaríais, salvarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: salve
The present subjunctive of salvar uses -e endings: salve, salves, salve, salvemos, salvéis, salven.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: salvara
The imperfect subjunctive of salvar is formed from the 'ellos' preterite: salvara, salvaras, salvara, salváramos, salvarais, salvaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: salva
The imperative of salvar gives commands: salva (tú), salvad (vosotros), salve (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no salves
The negative imperative of salvar uses the present subjunctive: no salves, no salve, no salvemos, no salvéis, no salven.