sentenciar Imperfect Conjugation
sentenciar — to sentence
The imperfect of sentenciar describes ongoing or habitual sentencing in the past.
sentenciar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe actions of sentencing that were happening over a period of time in the past, or that happened repeatedly. It sets the scene or describes background actions.
Notes on sentenciar in the Imperfect
Sentenciar is regular in the imperfect indicative tense.
Example Sentences
Cuando era joven, sentenciaba a los personajes de mis historias.
When I was young, I used to sentence the characters in my stories.
yo
¿Sentenciabas tú a los malos en el juego?
Did you used to sentence the bad guys in the game?
tú
El juez sentenciaba a los criminales cada semana.
The judge sentenced the criminals every week.
él/ella/usted
Antes, nosotros sentenciábamos las películas que veíamos.
Before, we used to review the movies we watched.
nosotros
Ellos sentenciaban a los personajes sin piedad.
They used to sentence the characters mercilessly.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single, completed act of sentencing.
Correct: For 'The judge sentenced him yesterday', use the preterite 'sentenció', not the imperfect 'sentenciaba'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, while the preterite describes completed, punctual actions.
Mistake: Confusing imperfect with conditional.
Correct: Ensure you're using 'sentenciaba' for past ongoing/habitual actions, not for 'would sentence'.
Why: The imperfect describes what *was* happening, while the conditional describes what *would* happen.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: sentencio
The present tense of sentenciar means 'to sentence' or 'sentences' currently.
Preterite
yo: sentencié
The preterite of sentenciar describes completed actions like 'the judge sentenced'.
Future
yo: sentenciaré
The future tense of sentenciar expresses 'will sentence'.
Conditional
yo: sentenciaría
The conditional of sentenciar means 'would sentence'.
Present Subjunctive
yo: sentencie
The present subjunctive (sentencie, sentencies, etc.) follows expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: sentenciara
The imperfect subjunctive (sentenciara/sentenciase) is used for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: sentencia
Commands like 'sentence him!' or 'let's sentence!' use the imperative of sentenciar.
Negative Imperative
yo: no sentencies
Negative commands like 'don't sentence him!' use the negative imperative of sentenciar.