The Imperfect Tense of atacar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Atacaba la ciudad cada noche. (I used to attack the city every night.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Atacar (to attack) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

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

Attacking or assaulting: For example, Los soldados atacaban la ciudad. (The soldiers were attacking the city.) This meaning can also be used figuratively, such as El frío atacaba mis huesos. (The cold was attacking my bones.)

Criticizing or verbally assaulting: For example, Siempre me atacaba por mi forma de vestir. (They were always attacking me for the way I dressed.) This usage can be quite rude or aggressive.

Dealing with or tackling (a problem): For example, Atacábamos el problema desde diferentes ángulos. (We were tackling the problem from different angles.) This is a more figurative usage.

Colloquially, “atacar” can mean “to eat” or “to devour” food: For example, ¡Atacaba la comida como si no hubiera un mañana! (They were devouring the food like there was no tomorrow!) This usage is quite informal and can be seen as rude in some contexts.

Examples

Examples of Atacar in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, atacaba a mis hermanos con almohadas. (When I was a child, I used to attack my siblings with pillows.)

El equipo atacaba con fuerza, pero no lograba anotar. (The team was attacking strongly, but couldn’t score.)

Mi abuela siempre atacaba la comida con entusiasmo. (My grandmother always attacked her food with enthusiasm.)

El ejército atacaba la ciudad por todos los frentes. (The army was attacking the city from all fronts.)

Los manifestantes atacaban al gobierno con críticas feroces. (The protesters were attacking the government with fierce criticism.)

Vosotros atacabais el problema de manera equivocada. (You (plural) were attacking the problem the wrong way.)

Ella atacaba sus miedos con valentía. (She was attacking her fears with courage.)

El virus atacaba al sistema inmunológico de los pacientes. (The virus was attacking the patients’ immune systems.)

Nosotros atacábamos el proyecto con entusiasmo. (We were attacking the project with enthusiasm.)

Tú atacabas tus tareas con determinación. (You were attacking your tasks with determination.)

Los críticos atacaban la nueva película por su falta de originalidad. (The critics were attacking the new movie for its lack of originality.)

Ellos atacaban los problemas con creatividad. (They were attacking problems with creativity.)

Vosotros atacabais el tema con demasiada agresividad. (You (plural) were attacking the topic too aggressively.)

Yo atacaba mis estudios con dedicación. (I was attacking my studies with dedication.)

Ella atacaba sus metas con pasión. (She was attacking her goals with passion.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Atacar (to attack) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American 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.