susurrar Imperfect Conjugation
susurrar — to whisper
The imperfect of susurrar ('susurraba', 'susurrabas', etc.) describes ongoing or habitual past actions and background.
susurrar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of 'susurrar' to describe actions that were happening repeatedly or continuously in the past, or to set the scene. For example, 'He used to whisper secrets' or 'The wind was whispering through the trees'.
Notes on susurrar in the Imperfect
Susurrar is regular in the imperfect indicative tense.
Example Sentences
Yo susurraba secretos a mi mejor amiga.
I used to whisper secrets to my best friend.
yo
Tú siempre susurrabas cuando la profesora no miraba.
You always used to whisper when the teacher wasn't looking.
tú
Él susurraba palabras de amor.
He was whispering words of love.
él/ella/usted
Ellos nos susurraban instrucciones.
They were whispering instructions to us.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect for a single, completed past action.
Correct: Use the preterite 'susurró' for 'He whispered once', not 'susurraba'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual actions, while the preterite describes completed ones.
Mistake: Confusing 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms.
Correct: Both 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' use 'susurraba'.
Why: This is a feature of the imperfect tense for regular -ar verbs.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: susurro
The present tense 'susurro', 'susurras', etc., is for actions happening now, habitual actions, or general truths.
Preterite
yo: susurré
The preterite of susurrar is regular: susurré, susurraste, susurró, susurramos, susurrasteis, susurraron.
Future
yo: susurraré
The future tense 'susurraré', 'susurrarás', etc., is for actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: susurraría
The conditional 'susurraría', 'susurrarías', etc., expresses 'would' actions, polite requests, or future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: susurre
The present subjunctive ('susurre', 'susurres', etc.) is used for wishes, doubts, emotions, and uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: susurrara
The imperfect subjunctive ('susurrara'/'susurrarais' forms) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: susurra
Use 'susurra' (tú), 'susurre' (usted), 'susurremos' (nosotros), 'susurrad' (vosotros), 'susurren' (ustedes) for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no susurres
Use 'no susurres' (tú), 'no susurre' (usted), 'no susurremos' (nosotros), 'no susurréis' (vosotros), 'no susurren' (ustedes).