vibrar Imperfect Conjugation
vibrar — to vibrate
Use 'vibraba', 'vibrabas', 'vibraban' for ongoing or habitual past vibrations.
vibrar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
The imperfect tense describes actions that were happening continuously in the past, or actions that happened habitually. For 'vibrar', you might say 'El teléfono siempre vibraba en clase' (The phone always vibrated in class - habitual) or 'Mientras hablaba, el suelo vibraba' (While he was talking, the ground was vibrating - ongoing).
Notes on vibrar in the Imperfect
Vibrar is a regular -ar verb and follows the standard conjugation pattern in the imperfect indicative tense.
Example Sentences
Cuando era niño, mi juguete vibraba mucho.
When I was a child, my toy vibrated a lot.
yo
¿Tú vibrabas cuando recibías un mensaje?
Did you use to vibrate when you received a message?
tú
La cama vibraba porque el tren pasaba cerca.
The bed was vibrating because the train was passing nearby.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros vibrábamos cada vez que sonaba el despertador.
We used to vibrate every time the alarm clock rang.
nosotros
Ellos vibraban de alegría.
They were vibrating with joy.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite ('vibró') for a past description or ongoing action.
Correct: Use 'vibraba' for background descriptions or habitual actions in the past.
Why: The imperfect sets the scene or describes continuous/repeated actions, while the preterite describes a completed event.
Mistake: Confusing the 'yo' form ('vibraba') with the 'él/ella/usted' form ('vibraba').
Correct: Both yo and él/ella/usted use 'vibraba' in the imperfect.
Why: Context is key to differentiate who is performing the action.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: vibro
Use 'vibro', 'vibras', 'vibra', 'vibran' for actions happening now or habitually.
Preterite
yo: vibré
Use 'vibré', 'vibraste', 'vibró', 'vibraron' for completed past vibrations.
Future
yo: vibraré
Use 'vibraré', 'vibrarás', 'vibrará', 'vibrarán' for future vibrations or probability.
Conditional
yo: vibraría
Use 'vibraría', 'vibrarías', 'vibraría', 'vibrarían' for hypothetical or polite vibrations.
Present Subjunctive
yo: vibre
Use 'vibre', 'vibres', 'vibremos', 'vibren' after expressions of doubt, emotion, or desire.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: vibrara
Use 'vibrara' or 'vibrase' (and its plural forms) for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: vibra
Use 'vibra', 'vibre', 'vibremos', 'vibrad', 'vibren' for direct commands with vibrar.
Negative Imperative
yo: no vibres
Use 'no vibres', 'no vibre', 'no vibremos', 'no vibréis', 'no vibren' for negative commands.