The Imperfect Tense of disminuir is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, El número de estudiantes disminuía cada año. (The number of students was decreasing each year.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Disminuir (to decrease) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The imperfect tense of disminuir is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, or to set the scene for another past action.

To decrease or diminish: For example, el nivel del agua disminuía poco a poco (the water level was decreasing little by little). This is the most common meaning, referring to something becoming smaller or less.

To reduce or lessen: For example, disminuía la velocidad para no chocar (he was reducing the speed to avoid crashing). This usage implies actively making something smaller or less intense.

To weaken or lose strength: For example, sus fuerzas disminuían con la edad (his strength was diminishing with age). This meaning relates to a gradual loss of power or vigor.

To belittle or undervalue (colloquial): For example, siempre disminuía mis logros (he was always belittling my achievements). In this idiomatic usage, it means to make something seem less important or valuable.

Examples

Examples of Disminuir in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, mi abuela disminuía la cantidad de azúcar en las recetas para que fueran más saludables. (When I was a child, my grandmother used to reduce the amount of sugar in recipes to make them healthier.)

Durante el verano, disminuíamos el uso del aire acondicionado para ahorrar energía. (During the summer, we used to reduce the use of air conditioning to save energy.)

Antes de las vacaciones, disminuían las ventas en la tienda debido a la falta de clientes. (Before the holidays, sales at the store were decreasing due to the lack of customers.)

Cada vez que disminuía mi estrés, me sentía más relajado y feliz. (Whenever my stress was decreasing, I felt more relaxed and happy.)

En aquella época, disminuíamos el consumo de carne por razones éticas. (Back then, we used to reduce our meat consumption for ethical reasons.)

Mis padres disminuían su jornada laboral para pasar más tiempo con nosotros. (My parents were reducing their work hours to spend more time with us.)

Vosotros disminuíais el volumen de la música cuando llegaban visitas. (You (plural) used to turn down the volume of the music when guests arrived.)

Ella disminuía la velocidad al acercarse a las zonas escolares. (She used to slow down when approaching school zones.)

Tú disminuías el consumo de calorías para mantener un peso saludable. (You used to reduce your calorie intake to maintain a healthy weight.)

Nosotros disminuíamos el uso de plásticos desechables para cuidar el medio ambiente. (We used to reduce the use of disposable plastics to protect the environment.)

Ellos disminuían la intensidad de los entrenamientos antes de una competencia importante. (They used to decrease the intensity of their training sessions before an important competition.)

Ustedes disminuían el gasto en servicios públicos durante los meses de invierno. (You (plural) used to reduce your spending on utilities during the winter months.)

Yo disminuía la cantidad de tareas pendientes para tener más tiempo libre. (I used to reduce the amount of pending tasks to have more free time.)

Ella disminuía su participación en actividades sociales para concentrarse en sus estudios. (She used to decrease her participation in social activities to focus on her studies.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Disminuir (to decrease) 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.