sumir Imperfect Conjugation
sumir — to plunge
The imperfect of 'sumir' is regular: sumía, sumías, sumía, sumíamos, sumíais, sumían.
sumir Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect tense of 'sumir' to describe ongoing actions in the past, habitual actions, or background settings. It paints a picture of plunging into something as a continuous or repeated activity in the past.
Notes on sumir in the Imperfect
'Sumir' is regular in the imperfect indicative. The stem is 'sum-' and the standard -ir imperfect indicative endings are used.
Example Sentences
Yo sumía en la tristeza cada vez que llovía.
I would plunge into sadness every time it rained.
yo
¿Tú sumías en tus sueños durante la clase?
Were you plunging into your dreams during class?
tú
Él sumía en sus libros por horas.
He used to plunge into his books for hours.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros sumíamos en la música los domingos.
We used to plunge into music on Sundays.
nosotros
Ellos sumían en la oscuridad antes del amanecer.
They were plunging into darkness before dawn.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'sumía' for a single, completed past action.
Correct: For a specific, completed act of plunging, use the preterite: 'Sumí en el mar'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing, habitual, or descriptive past actions, not single completed events.
Mistake: Confusing the imperfect 'sumía' with the present 'sumo'.
Correct: 'Sumía' refers to past actions ('I used to plunge'), while 'sumo' refers to present actions ('I plunge').
Why: These tenses indicate different time frames.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: sumo
The present tense of 'sumir' is regular: sumo, sumes, sume, sumimos, sumís, sumen.
Preterite
yo: sumí
The preterite of 'sumir' is regular: sumí, sumiste, sumió, sumimos, sumisteis, sumieron.
Future
yo: sumiré
The future tense of 'sumir' is regular: sumiré, sumirás, sumirá, sumiremos, sumiréis, sumirán.
Conditional
yo: sumiría
The conditional of 'sumir' is regular: sumiría, sumirías, sumiría, sumiríamos, sumiríais, sumirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: suma
The present subjunctive of 'sumir' (sumas, sumas, suma, sumamos, sumáis, sumen) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, and uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: sumiera
The imperfect subjunctive of 'sumir' (sumiera, sumieras, sumiera, sumiéramos, sumierais, sumieran) is used for past hypotheticals and wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: sume
Commands like 'sume' (you singular) and 'sumid' (you plural, Spain) are irregular, while others like 'sumamos' (we) are regular.
Negative Imperative
yo: no sumas
All negative commands for 'sumir' are formed using 'no' plus the present subjunctive, like 'no sumas' (you singular) and 'no sumamos' (we).