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Conjugation Chart of “Contraer” (to contract) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Contraer”

The Imperfect Tense of contraer is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example: Yo contraía una enfermedad cada invierno. (I used to contract an illness every winter.)

This verb follows the accented -ía conjugation pattern in the Imperfect Tense, which is common for verbs ending in -aer and -eer.

How to Use Contraer in the Imperfect Tense

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

To contract (an illness or debt): Por ejemplo, Yo contraía muchas deudas cuando era joven. (I used to contract many debts when I was young.) This can also refer to contracting an illness, like Ella contraía gripe cada invierno. (She used to contract the flu every winter.)

To acquire (a habit or obligation): For example, De niño, yo contraía malos hábitos con facilidad. (As a child, I used to acquire bad habits easily.) Or Nosotros contraíamos nuevas responsabilidades cada año. (We used to take on new responsibilities every year.)

To shrink or wrinkle (fabric or skin): For example, La ropa se contraía después de lavarla. (The clothes used to shrink after washing them.) Or Su piel se contraía con la edad. (Her skin used to wrinkle with age.)

To get married (colloquial): In some Latin American vernacular, it can mean to get married, like Ellos se contraían cada vez que tenían un hijo. (They used to get married every time they had a child.)

Real Life Examples of Contraer in the Imperfect Tense

Yo contraía una enfermedad cuando era niño. (I used to get sick when I was a child.)

Ella contraía deudas con mucha facilidad. (She would easily get into debt.)

Nosotros contraíamos la costumbre de comer tarde. (We would get into the habit of eating late.)

Tú contraías muchas responsabilidades en el trabajo. (You would take on a lot of responsibilities at work.)

Ellos contraían matrimonio muy jóvenes en esa época. (They would get married very young back then.)

Yo contraía un compromiso cada vez que aceptaba un nuevo proyecto. (I would take on a commitment every time I accepted a new project.)

Tú contraías la gripe con mucha frecuencia. (You would catch the flu quite often.)

Ella contraía una deuda cada vez que usaba su tarjeta de crédito. (She would incur debt every time she used her credit card.)

Nosotros contraíamos la costumbre de quedarnos despiertos hasta tarde. (We would get into the habit of staying up late.)

Ellos contraían compromisos que no podían cumplir. (They would take on commitments they couldn’t fulfill.)

Yo contraía una nueva responsabilidad cada vez que aceptaba un ascenso. (I would take on a new responsibility every time I accepted a promotion.)

Tú contraías una enfermedad cada vez que viajabas al extranjero. (You would get sick every time you traveled abroad.)

Ella contraía la costumbre de fumar cuando estaba estresada. (She would pick up the habit of smoking when she was stressed.)

Nosotros contraíamos deudas para poder comprar una casa. (We would incur debt in order to buy a house.)

Ellos contraían matrimonio después de varios años de noviazgo. (They would get married after several years of dating.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Contraer (to contract) 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.