The Imperfect Tense of levantar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example: Yo levantaba pesas en el gimnasio todos los días. (I was lifting weights at the gym every day.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Levantar (to lift) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

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

To raise or lift something: For example, Cuando era niño, levantaba pesas en el gimnasio. (When I was a child, I used to lift weights at the gym.)

To get up or rise: For example, Me levantaba temprano todos los días para ir al trabajo. (I used to get up early every day to go to work.)

To build or construct: For example, Los obreros levantaban un edificio nuevo en la esquina. (The workers were building a new building on the corner.)

To start a rebellion or protest: For example, El pueblo se levantaba contra el gobierno corrupto. (The people were rising up against the corrupt government.)

To pick up or collect: For example, Levantaba las migas del piso después de comer. (I used to pick up the crumbs from the floor after eating.)

To cheer up or encourage (colloquial): For example, Mi mamá siempre me levantaba el ánimo cuando estaba triste. (My mom always used to cheer me up when I was sad.)

To flirt or hit on someone (slang, rude): For example, Ese tipo levantaba a todas las chicas en la fiesta. (That guy was hitting on all the girls at the party.)

Examples

Examples of Levantar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo levantaba la mano para pedir la palabra en la reunión. (I was raising my hand to ask for the floor in the meeting.)

Ella levantaba las cejas cada vez que le contaba un chiste. (She was raising her eyebrows every time I told her a joke.)

El mesero levantaba los platos sucios de la mesa. (The waiter was clearing the dirty plates from the table.)

Mi hermano levantaba pesas en el gimnasio todas las mañanas. (My brother was lifting weights at the gym every morning.)

Nosotros levantábamos la voz cuando discutíamos sobre política. (We were raising our voices when we argued about politics.)

Los manifestantes levantaban carteles con sus demandas. (The protesters were holding up signs with their demands.)

El constructor levantaba un edificio de apartamentos en el centro. (The builder was putting up an apartment building downtown.)

Tú levantabas la mano para tomar un taxi. (You were hailing a taxi.)

Ellos levantaban el ánimo de sus compañeros antes del partido. (They were boosting their teammates’ morale before the game.)

La maestra levantaba la voz para calmar a los estudiantes ruidosos. (The teacher was raising her voice to quiet the noisy students.)

Yo levantaba la mirada cada vez que entraba alguien a la oficina. (I was looking up every time someone entered the office.)

Mi mamá levantaba la casa temprano todos los días. (My mom was getting the house in order early every day.)

Los trabajadores levantaban un muro de ladrillos alrededor de la propiedad. (The workers were building a brick wall around the property.)

Tú levantabas la ceja cuando no me creías. (You were raising your eyebrow when you didn’t believe me.)

Ellas levantaban la mano para pedir permiso de ir al baño. (They were raising their hands to ask permission to go to the bathroom.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Levantar (to lift) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.