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Conjugation Chart

“Subir” (to go up) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Subir”

The Imperfect Tense of subir is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example: Cuando era niño, subía a los árboles todos los días. (When I was a child, I used to climb trees every day.)

Subir is a regular -ir verb, so its Imperfect Tense conjugations follow the typical pattern for this verb type.

How to Use Subir in the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense of subir is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

To go up or ascend: For example, Cuando era niño, subía a los árboles todos los días. (When I was a child, I used to climb trees every day.)

To increase or rise: For example, Los precios subían constantemente. (Prices were constantly rising.)

To upload (files): For example, Subía fotos a mi página web. (I used to upload photos to my website.)

To move up (in rank or position): For example, Mi jefe subía de puesto cada año. (My boss used to get promoted every year.)

Colloquial usage: Subía la música a todo volumen. (I used to turn the music up full blast.) Subía las apuestas en el juego. (I used to raise the stakes in the game.)

Real Life Examples of Subir in the Imperfect Tense

Yo subía las escaleras lentamente porque estaba cansado. (I was going up the stairs slowly because I was tired.)

Cuando éramos niños, subíamos a los árboles para jugar. (When we were kids, we used to climb trees to play.)

Ella subía el volumen de la música cada vez que sonaba su canción favorita. (She would turn up the volume of the music every time her favorite song came on.)

Ustedes subían la cuesta con dificultad debido al calor sofocante. (You all were going up the hill with difficulty due to the stifling heat.)

Vosotros subíais al autobús por la puerta de atrás, ¿verdad? (You all used to get on the bus through the back door, right?)

Los precios subían constantemente, lo que hacía difícil ahorrar dinero. (Prices were constantly rising, making it difficult to save money.)

Cada vez que subía al escenario, sentía una mezcla de emoción y nerviosismo. (Every time I went up on stage, I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness.)

En la oficina, subíamos por las escaleras en lugar de tomar el ascensor para mantenernos en forma. (At the office, we used to take the stairs instead of the elevator to stay in shape.)

Mis abuelos subían la colina todos los domingos para ir a la iglesia. (My grandparents would go up the hill every Sunday to go to church.)

Vosotros subíais la persiana cada mañana para dejar entrar la luz del sol. (You all used to raise the blinds every morning to let the sunlight in.)

Cuando subía al avión, siempre me emocionaba por la aventura que me esperaba. (When I boarded the plane, I always got excited about the adventure that awaited me.)

Ellos subían el tono de voz durante las discusiones acaloradas. (They would raise their voices during heated arguments.)

Tú subías las apuestas en el casino, arriesgándote a perder todo. (You used to raise the bets at the casino, risking losing everything.)

Nosotros subíamos la montaña con nuestras mochilas llenas de provisiones. (We would climb the mountain with our backpacks full of supplies.)

Ella subía las persianas por las mañanas para disfrutar de la vista del amanecer. (She would raise the blinds in the mornings to enjoy the view of the sunrise.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Subir (to go up) in the Imperfect Tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.