The Imperfect Tense of atraer is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example: Ella me atraía con su encanto. (She attracted me with her charm.)
This verb follows the accented -ía conjugation pattern in the Imperfect Tense, where the accent falls on the second-to-last syllable in all forms except nosotros and vosotras.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Atraer (to attract) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | atraía |
| Tú | atraías |
| Él / Ella / Usted | atraía |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | atraíamos |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | atraían |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Atraer (to attract) in the Imperfect Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Atraer in the Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense of atraer is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.
To attract or draw something: For example, El imán atraía los clavos. (The magnet attracted the nails.) This can also be used figuratively, like Su personalidad atraía a mucha gente. (His personality attracted a lot of people.)
To entice or tempt: For example, Los dulces atraían a los niños. (The candies tempted the children.) This usage can have a slightly negative connotation, like Las apuestas lo atraían demasiado. (Gambling tempted him too much.)
To draw or pull something towards oneself: For example, Atraía la silla hacia sí mismo. (He pulled the chair towards himself.) This can be used both literally and figuratively, like Atraía la atención de todos con su risa. (He drew everyone’s attention with his laugh.)
To bring or cause something to come (colloquial): For example, Ese comportamiento le atrajo muchos problemas. (That behavior brought him a lot of problems.) This usage is more common in informal speech.
Examples
Examples of Atraer in the Imperfect Tense
Cuando era niño, mi abuela atraía a muchos pájaros a su jardín. (When she was a child, my grandmother attracted many birds to her garden.)
El imán atraía los objetos metálicos con mucha fuerza. (The magnet attracted the metal objects with great force.)
La música alegre atraía a la gente a la fiesta en el parque. (The lively music attracted people to the party in the park.)
El olor delicioso de las galletas recién horneadas atraía a todos en la casa. (The delicious smell of freshly baked cookies attracted everyone in the house.)
La luz brillante de la lámpara atraía muchas polillas por la noche. (The bright light of the lamp attracted many moths at night.)
El carisma del líder político atraía a grandes multitudes a sus mítines. (The charisma of the political leader attracted large crowds to his rallies.)
La oferta de descuentos atraía a muchos clientes a la tienda durante las rebajas. (The offer of discounts attracted many customers to the store during the sales.)
El aroma de las flores silvestres atraía a numerosas abejas al campo. (The scent of wildflowers attracted numerous bees to the countryside.)
La fama del chef atraía a comensales de todas partes al restaurante. (The chef’s fame attracted diners from all over to the restaurant.)
El brillo de las luces de neón atraía a los turistas al distrito de la ciudad. (The glow of the neon lights attracted tourists to the city district.)
La promesa de aventura atraía a los jóvenes a unirse al ejército. (The promise of adventure attracted young people to join the army.)
El encanto de la playa atraía a muchos visitantes durante el verano. (The charm of the beach attracted many visitors during the summer.)
La feria de artesanías atraía a compradores de todas partes de la región. (The craft fair attracted buyers from all over the region.)
El éxito de la empresa atraía a talentos de todo el mundo. (The company’s success attracted talent from all over the world.)
La belleza natural del parque nacional atraía a excursionistas y amantes de la naturaleza. (The natural beauty of the national park attracted hikers and nature lovers.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Atraer (to attract) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo atraía | I was attracting |
| Tú atraías | You were attracting |
| Él / Ella / Usted atraía | He / She / You was attracting |
| Nosotros / Nosotras atraíamos | We were attracting |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes atraían | They / You all were attracting |
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.