tejer Imperfect Conjugation
tejer — to knit
Use 'tejía', 'tejías', 'tejía', 'tejíamos', 'tejíais', 'tejían' for ongoing or habitual knitting in the past.
tejer Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect for actions that were happening repeatedly or continuously in the past, or to describe the background setting. For example, 'Cuando era niño, tejía con mi abuela' (When I was a child, I used to knit with my grandmother) or 'La lana se tejía fácilmente' (The yarn was knitting easily/knitted easily).
Notes on tejer in the Imperfect
Tejer is a regular -er verb in the imperfect tense. The stem 'tej-' is consistent, and the standard imperfect endings are used.
Example Sentences
Mi abuela tejía jerséis preciosos.
My grandmother used to knit beautiful sweaters.
él/ella/usted
Yo tejía por las noches mientras veía la tele.
I used to knit at night while I watched TV.
yo
¿Tú tejías algo cuando eras joven?
Did you used to knit anything when you were young?
tú
Ellos tejían mantas para vender en la feria.
They were knitting blankets to sell at the fair.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nosotros tejíamos bufandas de colores.
We used to knit colorful scarves.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite 'tejió' instead of the imperfect 'tejía' for a habitual past action.
Correct: Use 'tejía' to describe something you 'used to do' or 'were doing' regularly.
Why: The preterite is for completed actions, the imperfect for ongoing or habitual ones.
Mistake: Confusing 'tejíamos' (nosotros imperfect) with 'tejimos' (nosotros preterite).
Correct: 'Tejíamos' describes a past habit or ongoing action; 'tejimos' describes a completed action.
Why: The endings are different and indicate different time frames.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: tejo
Use 'tejo', 'tejes', 'teje', 'tejemos', 'tejéis', 'tejen' for knitting happening now, habitually, or as a general truth.
Preterite
yo: tejí
Use 'tejí', 'tejiste', 'tejió', 'tejimos', 'tejisteis', 'tejieron' for completed knitting actions in the past.
Future
yo: tejeré
Use 'tejeré', 'tejerás', 'tejerá', 'tejeremos', 'tejeréis', 'tejerán' for future knitting actions or probability.
Conditional
yo: tejería
Use 'tejería', 'tejerías', 'tejería', 'tejeríamos', 'tejeríais', 'tejerían' for hypotheticals ('would'), polite requests, or future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: teja
Use 'teja' (yo/él/ella/usted), 'tejas' (tú), 'tejamos' (nosotros), 'tejan' (ellos/ellas/ustedes), 'tejáis' (vosotros) after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: tejiera
Use 'tejiera'/'tejiese' (yo/él/ella/usted), 'tejieras'/'tejieses' (tú), 'tejiéramos'/'tejiésemos' (nosotros), 'tejieran'/'tejiesen' (ellos/ellas/ustedes), 'tejierais'/'tejieseis' (vosotros) for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: teje
Use 'teje' (tú), 'teja' (usted), 'tejamos' (nosotros), 'tejan' (ustedes), 'tejed' (vosotros) for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no tejas
Use 'no tejas' (tú), 'no teja' (usted), 'no tejamos' (nosotros), 'no tejan' (ustedes), 'no tejáis' (vosotros) for negative commands.