sobornar Imperfect Conjugation
sobornar — to bribe
Sobornaba, sobornabas, sobornaba, sobornábamos, sobornabais, sobornaban describe ongoing or habitual past bribery.
sobornar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense to describe habitual or repeated actions of bribing in the past, or to set the scene, describing background conditions where bribery might have occurred.
Notes on sobornar in the Imperfect
Sobornar is regular in the imperfect indicative. All forms follow the standard -ar pattern.
Example Sentences
Cuando trabajaba allí, yo sobornaba al jefe para tener mejores turnos.
When I worked there, I used to bribe the boss for better shifts.
yo
¿Tú sobornabas a los guardias para que te dejaran pasar?
Did you used to bribe the guards so they would let you pass?
tú
Él sobornaba al inspector cada vez que venía.
He bribed the inspector every time he came.
él/ella/usted
Ellos sobornaban para conseguir contratos fácilmente.
They bribed to get contracts easily.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
En esa época, nosotros sobornábamos a muchos funcionarios.
In those days, we used to bribe many officials.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single, completed act of bribery.
Correct: For a specific, finished action, use the preterite: 'Él sobornó al guardia ayer'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual actions, not single completed events.
Mistake: Confusing the imperfect with the conditional for past habits.
Correct: The imperfect ('sobornaba') describes past habits directly, while the conditional ('sobornaría') often implies a hypothetical or less certain past habit.
Why: Both can refer to past habits, but the imperfect is the standard choice for factual past routines.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: soborno
Soborno, sobornas, soborna, sobornamos, sobornáis, sobornan describe current or habitual bribery.
Preterite
yo: soborné
Soborné, sobornaste, sobornó, sobornamos, sobornasteis, sobornaron are the completed past actions for 'to bribe'.
Future
yo: sobornaré
Sobornaré, sobornarás, sobornará, sobornaremos, sobornaréis, sobornarán predict future bribery.
Conditional
yo: sobornaría
Sobornaría, sobornarías, sobornaría, sobornaríamos, sobornaríais, sobornarían express hypothetical bribery.
Present Subjunctive
yo: soborne
The present subjunctive forms are soborne, sobornes, sobornemos, sobornéis, sobornen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: sobornara
Forms like sobornara or sobornase express hypothetical or past subjunctive situations.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: soborna
Soborna, soborne, sobornemos, sobornad, sobornen are the commands for 'to bribe'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no sobornes
No sobornes, no soborne, no sobornemos, no sobornéis, no sobornen are negative commands for 'to bribe'.