triunfar Imperfect Conjugation
triunfar — to succeed
The imperfect of triunfar (triunfaba, triunfabas, etc.) describes past habits or ongoing situations of success.
triunfar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect of 'triunfar' to describe habitual success in the past ('I always succeeded') or ongoing success that was happening in the background of a past story.
Notes on triunfar in the Imperfect
Triunfar is regular in the imperfect indicative. It follows the standard pattern for -ar verbs, adding the imperfect endings to the stem.
Example Sentences
Cuando era joven, yo triunfaba en todos los deportes.
When I was young, I used to succeed in all sports.
yo
¿Tú triunfabas mucho en la escuela?
Did you often succeed in school?
tú
Él triunfaba constantemente en sus negocios.
He constantly succeeded in his businesses.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros triunfábamos en cada proyecto que empezábamos.
We were succeeding in every project we started.
nosotros
Ellos triunfaban en la liga cada año.
They used to succeed in the league every year.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite 'triunfó' for a habitual past action.
Correct: For past habits, use 'Él triunfaba', not 'Él triunfó'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or repeated actions in the past, while the preterite describes completed, single events.
Mistake: Mixing up imperfect and present tense meanings.
Correct: 'Triunfaba' refers to past habits, while 'triunfa' refers to present habits.
Why: It's crucial to distinguish between past ongoing/habitual actions and present ones.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: triunfo
The present tense of triunfar (triunfo, triunfas, triunfa, etc.) describes current or habitual success.
Preterite
yo: triunfé
The preterite of triunfar is regular: triunfé, triunfaste, triunfó, triunfamos, triunfasteis, triunfaron, marking completed past successes.
Future
yo: triunfaré
The future tense of triunfar (triunfaré, triunfarás, etc.) indicates future success or probability.
Conditional
yo: triunfaría
The conditional of triunfar (triunfaría, triunfarías, etc.) expresses hypothetical success ('would succeed').
Present Subjunctive
yo: triunfe
The present subjunctive of triunfar (triunfe, triunfes, etc.) is used for wishes, doubts, emotions, and uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: triunfara
The imperfect subjunctive of triunfar (triunfara/triunfase) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: triunfa
Imperative commands for triunfar: triunfa (tú), triunfe (usted), triunfemos (nosotros), triunfemos (ustedes), triunfad (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no triunfes
Negative commands for triunfar use the present subjunctive: no triunfes (tú), no triunfe (usted), no triunfemos (nosotros), no triunfen (ustedes), no triunféis (vosotros).