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Conjugation Chart of “Matar” (to kill) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Matar”

The Imperfect Tense of matar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo mataba las cucarachas. (I used to kill the cockroaches.)

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

How to Use Matar in the Imperfect Tense

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

Killing or murdering: For example, Cuando era niño, mataba insectos por diversión. (When I was a child, I used to kill insects for fun.)

Figuratively ending or destroying something: For example, El ruido me mataba los oídos. (The noise was killing my ears.)

Causing extreme fatigue or exhaustion: For example, Me mataba trabajar tanto. (Working so much used to kill me.)

Slang for being extremely funny or entertaining: For example, El comediante nos mataba de risa. (The comedian had us dying of laughter.)

Rude slang for having sex: For example, Mataba con su novia todas las noches. (He used to fuck his girlfriend every night.)

Real Life Examples of Matar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo mataba el tiempo jugando videojuegos mientras esperaba a mi amigo. (I was killing time playing video games while waiting for my friend.)

Ellos mataban las cucarachas con un insecticida cada vez que las veían. (They were killing the cockroaches with insecticide whenever they saw them.)

Tú matabas dos pájaros de un tiro al estudiar y trabajar al mismo tiempo. (You were killing two birds with one stone by studying and working at the same time.)

Nosotros matábamos el aburrimiento viendo películas los fines de semana. (We were killing boredom by watching movies on the weekends.)

Ella mataba las plantas por accidente al olvidarse de regarlas. (She was accidentally killing the plants by forgetting to water them.)

Ustedes mataban el tiempo libre haciendo deporte en el parque. (You were killing free time by doing sports in the park.)

Vosotros matabais las esperanzas de los demás con vuestros comentarios negativos. (You were killing others’ hopes with your negative comments.)

Él mataba el estrés con meditación y ejercicio. (He was killing stress with meditation and exercise.)

Ellas mataban las ganas de comer dulces con frutas y nueces. (They were killing their cravings for sweets with fruits and nuts.)

Yo mataba el tiempo libre leyendo novelas interesantes. (I was killing free time by reading interesting novels.)

Tú matabas las malas vibras con tu actitud positiva y sonrisa. (You were killing the bad vibes with your positive attitude and smile.)

Nosotros matábamos el aburrimiento en el trabajo con bromas y chistes. (We were killing boredom at work with jokes and pranks.)

Ellos mataban las esperanzas de éxito con su falta de esfuerzo. (They were killing their hopes of success with their lack of effort.)

Vosotros matabais el tiempo libre haciendo manualidades creativas. (You were killing free time by doing creative crafts.)

Ella mataba las ganas de fumar con chicles sin azúcar. (She was killing her cravings for smoking with sugar-free gum.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Matar (to kill) 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.