sancionar Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
sancionar — to penalize
The imperfect subjunctive of sancionar expresses past hypothetical situations or wishes: sancionara, sancionaras, sancionara, sancionáramos, sancionarais, sancionaran.
sancionar Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
This tense is for hypothetical situations in the past, often in 'if' clauses, or to express wishes or doubts about past events. It's also used to politely ask someone to do something.
Notes on sancionar in the Imperfect Subjunctive
Sancionar is regular in the imperfect subjunctive. Both the -ra and -se endings are correct, but the -ra form is more common in everyday speech.
Example Sentences
Si yo sancionara la regla, todos estarían molestos.
If I were to penalize the rule, everyone would be upset.
yo
Me gustaría que tú sancionaras la propuesta.
I would like you to penalize the proposal.
tú
Él actuaría de otra forma si ella sancionara la injusticia.
He would act differently if she penalized the injustice.
él/ella/usted
Ojalá nosotros sancionáramos las malas prácticas.
Hopefully, we would penalize the bad practices.
nosotros
Ellos habrían ayudado si el gobierno sancionara la ley.
They would have helped if the government had sanctioned the law.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect subjunctive in 'if' clauses.
Correct: For hypothetical past situations, use the imperfect subjunctive (e.g., 'si sancionara').
Why: The imperfect subjunctive sets up a hypothetical or contrary-to-fact condition.
Mistake: Confusing the -ra and -se forms.
Correct: Both 'sancionara' and 'sancionase' are correct, but 'sancionara' is generally more common.
Why: Learners might be unsure which ending to use or which is preferred.
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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.
Imperfect
yo: sancionaba
The imperfect of sancionar describes ongoing or habitual past actions: sancionaba, sancionabas, sancionaba, sancionábamos, sancionabais, sancionaban.
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.
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).