Learn sobrevivir conjugation in Pretérito Imperfecto step by step with detailed explanations

Image of sobrevivir conjugation in Pretérito Imperfecto

sobrevivir means: to come through, to outlive, to survive

In this lesson we will see how to conjugate the verb sobrevivir in the Pretérito Imperfecto tense of the Indicativo mood. It means we will see step by step how to get the following conjugation:

yo	sobrevivía	I came through
tú	sobrevivías	you came through
él/ella/usted	sobrevivía	he/she/it came through
nosotros/nosotras	sobrevivíamos	we came through
vosotros/vosotras	sobrevivíais	you came through
ellos/ellas/ustedes	sobrevivían	they came through

This lesson is specifically about the sobrevivir verb conjugation. For an overview of all the Simple Tenses conjugation check our Simple Tenses Conjugation Chart.

We also have a Video Presentation on how to conjugate verbs in Pretérito Imperfecto. It’s embedded on the right, but using the above link you may get additional information on conjugation in this tense and explanation of exceptions and special cases.

How to translate Pretérito Imperfecto to English

Notice that the phrases in English in the third column of the above conjugation chart are not direct translations from Spanish to English. They are usually the closest general equivalents. The example differences are:

In Spanish, 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 speaking, listening, writing and reading. After some practice you will be capable of selecting the right tense to use much easier. timeline preterito imperfecto how to conjugate spanish verbs

timeline preterito imperfecto how to conjugate spanish verbs

Step by step instructions

Pretérito Imperfecto belongs to the simple tenses group, which means that all of its conjugated forms are one word long. There are also compound (compuesto) tenses in Spanish language, where each inflected form consists of two words.

The verb sobrevivir has regular conjugation in the Pretérito Imperfecto tense of the Indicativo mood. It means this verb simply follows the general rules for its conjugation group (-ir) without any exceptions or spelling corrections. This tense is really easy, because there are only three exceptions!

The basis for the conjugation in this tense is the stem of the verb, so we begin by splitting the infinitive into a stem and an ending. It’s very easy to do. Simply remove two letters from the end of the infinitive form and you have the ending — one of -ar, -er or -ir. What’s left is the stem.

So for our verb:

the stem is: sobreviv-
and the ending is: -ir

Use the stem sobreviv- in each person as the basis for the conjugations, the common prefix that each of the forms begins with.

endings preterito imperfecto ir how to conjugate spanish verbs

Next, add to this regular stem the endings specific to each person. Analyze the image showing all six endings. Notice the colors and shapes of the letters. It will help you find patterns and make it easier to remember these endings.

Also notice that in verb groups -er and -ir all six endings in both Pretéterito Imperfecto and Condicional tenses are identical. Good tip to remember. The only difference is that the Condicional uses the entire infinitive as the stem.

Each grammatical person has a specific ending in each of the three conjugation groups -ar, -er, -ir.

Add the regular ending -ía for the first person singular to create sobrevivía:

yo sobrevivía

Again add the regular ending -ías for the second person singular to create sobrevivías:

tú sobrevivías

Again add the regular ending -ía for the third person singular to create sobrevivía:

él sobrevivía
ella sobrevivía
usted sobrevivía

And once more add the regular ending -íamos for the first person plural to create sobrevivíamos:

nosotros sobrevivíamos
nosotras sobrevivíamos

Again add the regular ending -íais for the second person plural to create sobrevivíais:

vosotros sobrevivíais
vosotras sobrevivíais

As before add the regular ending -ían for the third person plural to create sobrevivían:

ellos sobrevivían
ellas sobrevivían
ustedes sobrevivían

Hurray! The conjugation is now done. But don’t end your session yet – it’s important to repeat and practice the material in order to retain it. Check below for some links.

Next Steps

To practice this conjugation and test your skills try this Conjugation Exercise or the Memory Game
To see other conjugation lessons for this verb choose another tense:
For exercises and examples related to sobrevivir visit our Exercise section
To see conjugation charts in all tenses for sobrevivir visit the Conjugator
To explore other learning materials visit the Study section