The Imperfect Tense of quemar is used to describe continuous or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo quemaba la basura todos los días. (I used to burn the trash every day.)

Quemar is a regular -ar verb, so its Imperfect Tense conjugations follow the typical pattern for that verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Quemar (to burn) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

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

Burning or setting on fire: For example, Cuando era niño, quemaba hojas en el patio trasero. (When I was a child, I used to burn leaves in the backyard.)

Consuming by fire: For example, El fuego quemaba lentamente la madera. (The fire was slowly burning the wood.)

Causing a burning sensation: For example, El sol quemaba mi piel en la playa. (The sun was burning my skin at the beach.)

Figurative usage: For example, La vergüenza quemaba sus mejillas. (Shame was burning her cheeks.)

Slang: Quemar (to burn or screw over): For example, Mi amigo me quemó al no devolverme el dinero que le presté. (My friend screwed me over by not returning the money I lent him.)

Examples

Examples of Quemar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo quemaba la basura en el patio trasero. (I used to burn the trash in the backyard.)

Ella quemaba incienso para relajarse. (She used to burn incense to relax.)

Nosotros quemábamos leña en la chimenea durante el invierno. (We used to burn firewood in the fireplace during winter.)

Ellos quemaban las hojas secas en el jardín. (They used to burn the dry leaves in the garden.)

Tú quemabas demasiadas calorías en el gimnasio. (You used to burn too many calories at the gym.)

Él quemaba la cena por descuido. (He used to burn dinner by accident.)

Ustedes quemaban las velas durante los apagones. (You guys used to burn candles during power outages.)

Ellas quemaban los discos viejos en una fogata. (They used to burn old CDs in a bonfire.)

¿Quemabas la hierba mala en el jardín? (Did you use to burn the weeds in the garden?)

Mi abuela quemaba incienso en la iglesia. (My grandmother used to burn incense in church.)

Los niños quemaban las hojas secas en otoño. (The kids used to burn dry leaves in autumn.)

¿Quemabas las cartas de tu ex? (Slang: Did you use to burn your ex’s letters?)

Ellos quemaban la basura porque no había servicio de recolección. (They used to burn trash because there was no garbage collection service.)

Nosotros quemábamos los documentos confidenciales. (We used to burn confidential documents.)

Tú quemabas demasiada gasolina con ese auto viejo. (You used to burn too much gas with that old car.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Quemar (to burn) 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.