The Imperfect Tense of suponer is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example: Yo suponía que llegarías temprano. (I supposed that you would arrive early.)

Suponer is a regular -er verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the typical pattern for this verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Suponer (to suppose) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The imperfect tense of suponer is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as well as descriptions and states of being.

To suppose or assume: For example, Yo suponía que llegarías tarde. (I assumed you would arrive late.)

To imply or suggest: For example, Su comentario suponía que no estaba contento. (His comment implied that he was not happy.)

To hypothesize or theorize: For example, Los científicos suponían que la Tierra era plana. (Scientists hypothesized that the Earth was flat.)

To estimate or approximate: For example, Suponía que el viaje costaría unos 500 euros. (I estimated that the trip would cost around 500 euros.)

Colloquially, to suppose or assume (often with a negative connotation): For example, ¿Quién te suponía a ti tan listo? (Who assumed you were so smart? – implying the person is not actually smart.)

Examples

Examples of Suponer in the Imperfect Tense

Yo suponía que el restaurante estaría abierto a esta hora. (I assumed the restaurant would be open at this time.)

Ellos suponían que la película sería aburrida, pero resultó ser muy entretenida. (They assumed the movie would be boring, but it turned out to be very entertaining.)

Tú suponías que el tráfico estaría ligero, pero nos quedamos atrapados en un gran atasco. (You assumed the traffic would be light, but we got stuck in a huge traffic jam.)

Nosotros suponíamos que el vuelo llegaría a tiempo, pero se retrasó varias horas. (We assumed the flight would arrive on time, but it was delayed for several hours.)

Ustedes suponían que la conferencia sería aburrida, pero resultó ser muy informativa. (You assumed the conference would be boring, but it turned out to be very informative.)

Ella suponía que su amigo vendría a la fiesta, pero al final no pudo asistir. (She assumed her friend would come to the party, but in the end he couldn’t make it.)

Vosotros suponíais que el examen sería fácil, pero resultó ser muy difícil. (You assumed the exam would be easy, but it turned out to be very difficult.)

Él suponía que su equipo ganaría el partido, pero perdieron por un amplio margen. (He assumed his team would win the game, but they lost by a wide margin.)

Nosotras suponíamos que la obra de teatro sería aburrida, pero nos sorprendió gratamente. (We assumed the play would be boring, but we were pleasantly surprised.)

Vosotros suponíais que el libro sería interesante, pero resultó ser muy aburrido. (You assumed the book would be interesting, but it turned out to be very boring.)

Ellos suponían que el concierto sería ruidoso, pero el sonido fue excelente. (They assumed the concert would be noisy, but the sound was excellent.)

Tú suponías que el hotel sería lujoso, pero las instalaciones eran bastante modestas. (You assumed the hotel would be luxurious, but the facilities were quite modest.)

Yo suponía que el curso sería difícil, pero resultó ser muy accesible. (I assumed the course would be difficult, but it turned out to be very accessible.)

Ustedes suponían que el viaje sería caro, pero resultó ser muy asequible. (You assumed the trip would be expensive, but it turned out to be very affordable.)

Ella suponía que la comida sería deliciosa, pero no le gustó el sabor. (She assumed the food would be delicious, but she didn’t like the taste.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Suponer (to suppose) in the Imperfect Tense 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.