sancionar Imperfect Conjugation
sancionar — to penalize
The imperfect of sancionar describes ongoing or habitual past actions: sancionaba, sancionabas, sancionaba, sancionábamos, sancionabais, sancionaban.
sancionar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense to describe habitual actions in the past (e.g., 'He always penalized unfair play') or to set the scene in the past (e.g., 'The rules were strict, and they penalized every mistake').
Notes on sancionar in the Imperfect
Sancionar is regular in the imperfect tense. The conjugation follows the standard pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Antes, el director sancionaba a los alumnos que llegaban tarde.
Before, the principal used to penalize students who arrived late.
él/ella/usted
Yo sancionaba las faltas leves todos los días.
I used to penalize minor infractions every day.
yo
¿Tú sancionabas esas acciones?
Did you used to penalize those actions?
tú
Cuando éramos niños, mis padres nos sancionaban por todo.
When we were kids, my parents used to penalize us for everything.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nosotros sancionábamos las trampas en los exámenes.
We used to penalize cheating on exams.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single, completed past action.
Correct: For a specific instance of penalizing, use the preterite: 'El comité sancionó...' (not 'sancionaba').
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, not completed ones.
Mistake: Confusing the imperfect 'sancionaba' (yo) with the preterite 'sancionó' (él/ella/usted).
Correct: Remember 'sancionaba' implies duration or repetition in the past, while 'sancionó' is a single, completed event.
Why: This is a fundamental difference between the imperfect and preterite tenses.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: sanciono
The present tense of sancionar describes current actions or general truths: sanciono, sancionas, sanciona, sancionamos, sancionáis, sancionan.
Preterite
yo: sancioné
The preterite of sancionar indicates completed past actions: sancioné, sancionaste, sancionó, sancionamos, sancionasteis, sancionaron.
Future
yo: sancionaré
The future tense of sancionar indicates future actions: sancionaré, sancionarás, sancionará, sancionaremos, sancionaréis, sancionarán.
Conditional
yo: sancionaría
The conditional of sancionar expresses hypothetical results, polite requests, or future-in-the-past: sancionaría, sancionarías, sancionaría, sancionaríamos, sancionaríais, sancionarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: sancione
The present subjunctive of sancionar is used for wishes, doubts, emotions, and after impersonal expressions: sancione, sanciones, sancione, sancionemos, sancionen, sancionéis.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: sancionara
The imperfect subjunctive of sancionar expresses past hypothetical situations or wishes: sancionara, sancionaras, sancionara, sancionáramos, sancionarais, sancionaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: sanciona
The imperative of sancionar gives direct commands: sanciona (tú), sancione (usted), sancionemos (nosotros), sancionen (ustedes), sancionad (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no sanciones
Negative commands for sancionar use the present subjunctive: no sanciones (tú), no sancione (usted), no sancionemos (nosotros), no sancionen (ustedes), no sancionéis (vosotros).