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tomar Imperfect Conjugation
tomar — to have
The imperfect of tomar follows the regular -aba pattern: tomaba, tomabas, tomaba, tomábamos, tomabais, tomaban.
tomar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe past habits, like a drink you used to have every day, or to describe what someone was holding when something else happened.
Notes on tomar in the Imperfect
Tomar is regular in the imperfect. Remember to add an accent on the 'a' only in the 'nosotros' form: tomábamos.
Example Sentences
De niño, yo tomaba mucha leche.
As a child, I used to drink a lot of milk.
yo
Ellos tomaban el sol en la playa cada verano.
They used to sunbathe on the beach every summer.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nosotros tomábamos café cuando ella llegó.
We were having coffee when she arrived.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'tomábamos'.
Correct: tomábamos
Why: All -ar imperfect 'nosotros' forms require an accent on the antepenultimate syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: tomo
Tomar is a regular -ar verb in the present: tomo, tomas, toma, tomamos, tomáis, toman.
Preterite
yo: tomé
The preterite of tomar is regular: tomé, tomaste, tomó, tomamos, tomasteis, tomaron.
Future
yo: tomaré
The future of tomar is regular, adding endings to the infinitive: tomaré, tomarás, tomará, tomaremos, tomaréis, tomarán.
Conditional
yo: tomaría
The conditional of tomar is regular: tomaría, tomarías, tomaría, tomaríamos, tomaríais, tomarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: tome
The present subjunctive of tomar uses 'e' endings: tome, tomes, tome, tomemos, toméis, tomen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: tomara
The imperfect subjunctive of tomar uses the -ara endings: tomara, tomaras, tomara, tomáramos, tomarais, tomaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: toma
The imperative of tomar is: toma (tú), tome (usted), tomemos (nosotros), tomad (vosotros), tomen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no tomes
The negative imperative of tomar uses present subjunctive forms: no tomes, no tome, no tomemos, no toméis, no tomen.