sentar Imperfect Conjugation
sentar — to sit down
The imperfect of sentar is regular: sentaba, sentabas, sentaba, sentábamos, sentabais, sentaban.
sentar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe where someone used to sit habitually or to describe the background action of sitting when something else happened.
Notes on sentar in the Imperfect
Sentar is regular in the imperfect. Note the accent on the nosotros form: sentábamos.
Example Sentences
De niño, siempre me sentaba en el suelo.
As a child, I always used to sit on the floor.
yo
Ellos se sentaban mientras nosotros cocinábamos.
They were sitting down while we were cooking.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nos sentábamos juntos en la escuela.
We used to sit together at school.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'sentábamos'.
Correct: sentábamos
Why: All -ar verbs in the imperfect require an accent on the 'a' in the nosotros form.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: siento
Sentar is a stem-changing verb (e > ie) in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Preterite
yo: senté
The preterite of sentar is regular: senté, sentaste, sentó, sentamos, sentasteis, sentaron.
Future
yo: sentaré
The future of sentar is regular: sentaré, sentarás, sentará, sentaremos, sentaréis, sentarán.
Conditional
yo: sentaría
The conditional of sentar is regular: sentaría, sentarías, sentaría, sentaríamos, sentaríais, sentarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: sienta
Sentar follows the e > ie stem change in the subjunctive, except for nosotros and vosotros.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: sentara
The imperfect subjunctive of sentar is regular: sentara, sentaras, sentara, sentáramos, sentarais, sentaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: sienta
The imperative uses the stem change (e > ie) for most commands: siente, sentad, sienten.
Negative Imperative
yo: no sientas
The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive forms: no sientes, no siente, no sentemos, no sentéis, no sienten.