sustentar Imperfect Conjugation
sustentar — to support
The imperfect of 'sustentar' is regular: sustentaba, sustentabas, sustentaba, sustentábamos, sustentabais, sustentaban.
sustentar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, or to describe background settings. You might say you *used to* support a certain team, or that a law *was supporting* a group.
Notes on sustentar in the Imperfect
Sustentar is a regular -ar verb and follows the standard conjugation pattern in the imperfect tense.
Example Sentences
Yo sustentaba a mi familia cuando vivía en el pueblo.
I used to support my family when I lived in the village.
yo
¿Tú sustentabas esa idea en ese entonces?
Did you support that idea back then?
tú
El sistema sustentaba a miles de personas.
The system supported thousands of people.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros sustentábamos a nuestros padres.
We used to support our parents.
nosotros
Ellos sustentaban el gobierno anterior.
They supported the previous government.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'sustentaba' for a single, completed past action.
Correct: For a specific completed action, use the preterite (e.g., 'sustentó'). 'Sustentaba' is for ongoing or habitual past actions.
Why: The imperfect describes continuous or repeated actions in the past, not single completed events.
Mistake: Confusing the nosotros imperfect 'sustentábamos' with the preterite 'sustentamos'.
Correct: The imperfect has the '-aba' stem and the '-mos' ending ('sustentábamos'), while the preterite has '-amos' ('sustentamos').
Why: These are distinct past tenses with different meanings and conjugations.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: sustento
The present tense of 'sustentar' is regular: sustento, sustentas, sustenta, sustentamos, sustentáis, sustentan.
Preterite
yo: sustenté
The preterite of 'sustentar' is regular: sustenté, sustentaste, sustentó, sustentamos, sustentasteis, sustentaron.
Future
yo: sustentaré
The future tense of 'sustentar' is regular: sustentaré, sustentarás, sustentará, sustentaremos, sustentaréis, sustentarán.
Conditional
yo: sustentaría
The conditional of 'sustentar' is regular: sustentaría, sustentarías, sustentaría, sustentaríamos, sustentaríais, sustentarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: sustente
Use 'sustente' (yo/él/ella/usted), 'sustentes' (tú), 'sustentemos' (nosotros), etc., after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: sustentara
Use 'sustentara' or 'sustentase' (yo/él/ella/usted), 'sustentaras'/'sustentases' (tú), 'sustentáramos'/'sustentásemos' (nosotros), etc., for past hypothetical situations or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: sustenta
Use 'sustenta' (tú), 'sustente' (usted), 'sustentemos' (nosotros), 'sustentad' (vosotros), 'sustenten' (ustedes) for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no sustentes
Use 'no sustentes' (tú), 'no sustente' (usted), 'no sustentemos' (nosotros), 'no sustentéis' (vosotros), 'no sustenten' (ustedes) for negative commands.