sorprender Imperfect Conjugation
sorprender — to surprise
The imperfect of sorprender is regular: sorprendía, sorprendías, sorprendía, sorprendíamos, sorprendíais, sorprendían.
sorprender Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of 'sorprender' to describe a past situation where someone was habitually surprised, or to set the scene where a surprise was happening. It emphasizes the ongoing nature or background.
Notes on sorprender in the Imperfect
Sorprender is regular in the imperfect tense. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for regular -er verbs.
Example Sentences
Cuando era niño, me sorprendía fácilmente.
When I was a child, I used to get surprised easily.
yo
Siempre nos sorprendían con regalos inesperados.
They always used to surprise us with unexpected gifts.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
La casa me sorprendía por su tamaño.
The house surprised me with its size (describing background).
él/ella/usted
Tú te sorprendías de todo.
You used to get surprised by everything.
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect for ongoing past states.
Correct: For 'I used to get surprised easily', use 'me sorprendía' (imperfect), not 'me sorprendí' (preterite).
Why: The imperfect describes habitual or ongoing actions/states in the past, while the preterite describes completed actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun 'me', 'te', 'se', etc.
Correct: Use 'me sorprendía' (I used to surprise myself / I used to get surprised), not just 'sorprendía'.
Why: The verb often functions reflexively when describing someone's state of being surprised.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: sorprendo
The present tense of sorprender is regular: sorprendo, sorprendes, sorprende, sorprendemos, sorprendéis, sorprenden.
Preterite
yo: sorprendí
The preterite of sorprender is regular: sorprendí, sorprendiste, sorprendió, sorprendimos, sorprendisteis, sorprendieron.
Future
yo: sorprenderé
The future tense of sorprender is regular: sorprenderé, sorprenderás, sorprenderá, sorprenderemos, sorprenderéis, sorprenderán.
Conditional
yo: sorprendería
The conditional of sorprender is regular: sorprendería, sorprenderías, sorprendería, sorprenderíamos, sorprenderíais, sorprenderían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: sorprenda
The present subjunctive of sorprender is used for wishes, doubts, emotions, and uncertainty: 'sorprenda', 'sorprendas', 'sorprendan'.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: sorprendiera
The imperfect subjunctive of sorprender expresses hypothetical past actions or wishes: 'sorprendiera' or 'sorprendiese'.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: sorprende
Use the imperative of sorprender for direct commands like '¡sorprende!', '¡sorprendamos!', '¡sorprendan!'
Negative Imperative
yo: no sorprendas
Negative commands use 'no' plus the present subjunctive: 'no sorprendas', 'no sorprendamos', 'no sorprendan'.