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Conjugation Chart

“Atreverse” (to dare) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Atreverse”

The Imperfect Tense of atreverse is used to describe actions in the past that were ongoing, repeated, or habitual. For example, Antes no me atrevía a hablar en público. (Before, I didn’t dare to speak in public.)

Atreverse is a regular -er verb, so its conjugation in the Imperfect Tense follows the regular pattern for that verb type.

How to Use Atreverse in the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense of atreverse is used to describe actions or states that were ongoing or repeated in the past.

To dare or venture to do something: Por ejemplo, de niño no me atrevía a hablar en público (As a child, I didn’t dare to speak in public).

To have the courage or audacity: Por ejemplo, ¿Cómo te atreviste a decirle eso a tu jefe? (How did you dare to say that to your boss?)

To risk or take a chance (colloquial): Por ejemplo, No me atrevo a comer esa comida de la calle (I don’t dare eat that street food).

To be so bold as to do something (rude): Por ejemplo, ¿Cómo te atreves a hablarme así, pendejo? (How dare you talk to me like that, you idiot?)

Real Life Examples of Atreverse in the Imperfect Tense

Nadie se atrevía a entrar en la casa abandonada después del anochecer. (Nobody dared to enter the abandoned house after nightfall.)

Yo no me atrevía a hablar en público cuando era más joven. (I didn’t dare to speak in public when I was younger.)

Mi hermano se atrevía a probar cualquier plato exótico que le servían. (My brother would dare to try any exotic dish they served him.)

Los estudiantes no se atrevían a contradecir al profesor más estricto. (The students didn’t dare to contradict the strictest teacher.)

Ella se atrevía a usar los colores más llamativos en su ropa. (She dared to wear the most striking colors in her clothes.)

Nosotros no nos atrevíamos a salir solos durante la noche. (We didn’t dare to go out alone at night.)

Tú te atrevías a defender tus ideas frente a cualquiera. (You dared to defend your ideas in front of anyone.)

Pocos se atrevían a desafiar las reglas tradicionales del pueblo. (Few dared to challenge the traditional rules of the town.)

Mi prima se atrevía a trepar los árboles más altos del parque. (My cousin dared to climb the tallest trees in the park.)

Los jóvenes se atrevían a experimentar con nuevos estilos musicales. (The young people dared to experiment with new musical styles.)

El nuevo chef se atrevía a mezclar sabores nunca antes combinados. (The new chef dared to mix flavors never combined before.)

Nosotras nos atrevíamos a soñar con un futuro diferente. (We dared to dream of a different future.)

Ningún comerciante se atrevía a abrir su tienda los domingos. (No merchant dared to open their store on Sundays.)

Los artistas se atrevían a expresar sus ideas más controversiales. (The artists dared to express their most controversial ideas.)

Mi abuelo se atrevía a contar historias que nadie más contaba. (My grandfather dared to tell stories that no one else would tell.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Atreverse (to dare) in the Imperfect 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.