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Conjugation Chart of “Funcionar” (to function) in the Imperfect Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | funcionaba |
| Tú | funcionabas |
| Él / Ella / Usted | funcionaba |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | funcionábamos |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | funcionaban |
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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Funcionar”
The Imperfect Tense of Funcionar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example: El sistema no funcionaba bien. (The system was not working well.)
Funcionar is a regular -ar verb, so its Imperfect Tense conjugations follow the typical pattern for that verb type.
How to Use Funcionar in the Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense of funcionar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as well as descriptions and states of being.
Describing an ongoing action in the past: For example, El motor funcionaba bien hasta que se averió. (The engine was working well until it broke down.)
Describing a repeated or habitual action in the past: For example, Cuando era niño, el televisor no funcionaba muy bien. (When I was a child, the TV didn’t work very well.)
Describing a state of being in the past: For example, La computadora funcionaba lentamente. (The computer was working slowly.)
Expressing an ongoing action interrupted by another action in the past: For example, Funcionaba bien hasta que lo golpeé accidentalmente. (It was working well until I accidentally hit it.)
Colloquial usage (idiomatic): For example, ¡Esa fiesta funcionó a toda madre! (That party was awesome! – lit. “That party worked at full mother!”)
Real Life Examples of Funcionar in the Imperfect Tense
El aire acondicionado funcionaba de manera intermitente. (The air conditioning was working intermittently.)
La computadora funcionaba lentamente, así que decidí reiniciarla. (The computer was running slowly, so I decided to restart it.)
El motor del carro funcionaba a la perfección después de la reparación. (The car engine was running perfectly after the repair.)
La aplicación funcionaba sin problemas en mi teléfono antiguo. (The app was working smoothly on my old phone.)
El plan de negocios funcionaba bien al principio, pero luego tuvimos que hacer algunos ajustes. (The business plan was working well at first, but then we had to make some adjustments.)
La estrategia de marketing funcionaba de maravilla para atraer nuevos clientes. (The marketing strategy was working wonders to attract new customers.)
El sistema de riego funcionaba automáticamente cada mañana para mantener el jardín verde. (The irrigation system was working automatically every morning to keep the garden green.)
La calefacción funcionaba a toda máquina durante el invierno, pero aun así hacía frío en la casa. (The heating was working at full blast during the winter, but it was still cold in the house.)
El reloj funcionaba a la perfección, marcando la hora con precisión. (The clock was working perfectly, keeping accurate time.)
La rutina de ejercicios funcionaba muy bien para mantenerse en forma. (The exercise routine was working very well to stay in shape.)
El plan de estudios funcionaba de maravilla para los estudiantes más avanzados. (The curriculum was working wonderfully for the more advanced students.)
La política de la empresa funcionaba bien en teoría, pero en la práctica era difícil de implementar. (The company policy was working well in theory, but in practice it was difficult to implement.)
El método de enseñanza funcionaba mejor con grupos pequeños de estudiantes. (The teaching method was working better with small groups of students.)
La dieta funcionaba lentamente, pero al menos estaba perdiendo peso de manera constante. (The diet was working slowly, but at least I was losing weight consistently.)
El tratamiento médico funcionaba para aliviar los síntomas, pero no curaba la enfermedad. (The medical treatment was working to relieve the symptoms, but it didn’t cure the disease.)
Conjugation Chart with English Translations
Conjugations of Funcionar (to function) in the Imperfect Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo funcionaba | I was functioning |
| Tú funcionabas | You were functioning |
| Él / Ella / Usted funcionaba | He / She / You was functioning |
| Nosotros / Nosotras funcionábamos | We were functioning |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes funcionaban | They / You all were functioning |
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.