Click to see all conjugation charts of preparar in every tense
In this conjugation lesson we will see how to conjugate the verb preparar in the Imperfecto tense of the Indicativo mood. It means we will see step by step how to create and translate forms of each grammatical person.
This lesson is specifically about the preparar conjugation. For an overview of all the Simple Tenses conjugation have a look at the Simple Tenses Conjugation Chart.
We also have a Video Presentation on how to conjugate verbs in Imperfecto. It’s embedded below, but using the above link you may see more detailed information on conjugation in this tense and explanation of special cases and exceptions.
How to translate Imperfecto to English
Notice that the English phrases provided below next to each conjugation are not direct translations from Spanish to English. They are usually the closest general equivalents. The example differences are:- In Spanish conjugation, there is the form usted in the third person singular. But this person does not translate to the English third person singular. It translates to the so called formal you and uses the inflected form which is most often represented as he/she/it in English conjugation charts.
- Similar situation happens in the third person plural, where ustedes translates to the English plural formal you but uses the form which corresponds to the they form in English.
- Tenses are used differently in Spanish and English, so the actual translation should always take into account the context and focus on translating the meaning, not just words.
- In both languages each verb may have multiple meanings and not every meaning translates directly to the other language. Here also, the context and focusing on the particular meaning helps to create the most accurate translation.
Note the timeline
The ability to properly locate the intended position on the timeline is a crucial skill for the right use of tenses. So note the timeline in our lessons and visualize it while listening, speaking, writing and reading. After a bit practice you will be able to select the right tense to use much easier.Step by step instructions
Imperfecto belongs to the simple tenses group, which means that all of the conjugated forms are one word long. There are also compound (compuesto) tenses in Spanish language, where each conjugated form consists of two words.The verb preparar has an entirely regular conjugation in the Imperfecto tense of the Indicativo mood. It means that this verb follows the general rules for its conjugation group (-ar) without spelling corrections or exceptions. This tense is really easy, because there are only three irregular verbs! The basis for this conjugation is the stem of the verb, so we have to begin by splitting the infinitive into a stem and an ending. It’s easy to do. Just remove two letters from the end of the infinitive to get the ending — one of -ar, -er or -ir. What’s left is the stem. So in case of our verb:- the stem is: prepar-
- and the ending is: -ar
- yo preparaba – I prepared
- tú preparabas – you prepared
- él preparaba – he prepared
- ella preparaba – she prepared
- usted preparaba – (formal) you prepared
Only the first person plural has an accent here.
This difference exists only in case of the verbs from the -ar group. Other groups always have an accented i in the ending in this tense.So add the accent to get preparábamos:
- nosotros preparábamos – we prepared
- nosotras preparábamos – (feminine) we prepared
- vosotros preparabais – (plural) you prepared
- vosotras preparabais – (feminine, plural) you prepared
- ellos preparaban – they prepared
- ellas preparaban – (feminine) they prepared
- ustedes preparaban – (formal, plural) you prepared
¡Ya está! The conjugation is now finished. That’s the final result:
yo | preparaba | I prepared |
tú | preparabas | you prepared |
él/ella/usted | preparaba | he/she/it prepared |
nosotros/nosotras | preparábamos | we prepared |
vosotros/vosotras | preparabais | you prepared |
ellos/ellas/ustedes | preparaban | they prepared |
But do not end your session yet – it is very important to repeat and practice the material in order to remember it. Check below for next steps.
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