Atacar Imperfect Tense in Latin American Spanish

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

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

Conjugations

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

Pronoun Conjugation
Yoatacaba
atacabas
Él / Ella / Ustedatacaba
Nosotros / Nosotrasatacábamos
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedesatacaban

Boost Your Memorization with Audio!

We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Atacar (to attack) 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 Atacar in the Imperfect Tense

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

Attacking or assaulting: For example, Los ladrones atacaban a los transeúntes por la noche. (The thieves were attacking/assaulting passersby at night.)

Criticizing or verbally attacking: For example, Siempre atacaba a sus compañeros de trabajo por cualquier error. (He/She was always criticizing/verbally attacking his/her coworkers for any mistake.)

Suffering from (illness): For example, Me atacaba un fuerte dolor de cabeza cada vez que estudiaba. (I was suffering from/being attacked by a severe headache every time I studied.)

Colloquial/Slang (rude): For example, Atacaba la comida como un animal. (He/She was attacking/devouring the food like an animal.)

Examples

Examples of Atacar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo atacaba al enemigo con mi espada. (I was attacking the enemy with my sword.)

Ellos atacaban la ciudad por la noche. (They were attacking the city at night.)

atacabas demasiado rápido y perdiste el control. (You were attacking too fast and lost control.)

Nosotros atacábamos al equipo contrario con una estrategia agresiva. (We were attacking the opposing team with an aggressive strategy.)

Ella atacaba los problemas de frente, sin miedo. (She was attacking problems head-on, without fear.)

El perro atacaba a los intrusos que se acercaban a la casa. (The dog was attacking intruders who approached the house.)

Ustedes atacaban los puntos débiles del oponente con habilidad. (You were attacking the opponent’s weak points skillfully.)

Los soldados atacaban la fortaleza enemiga con cañones. (The soldiers were attacking the enemy fortress with cannons.)

Yo atacaba los retos con entusiasmo y determinación. (I was attacking challenges with enthusiasm and determination.)

Ellas atacaban el problema desde diferentes ángulos. (They were attacking the problem from different angles.)

atacabas las tareas con procrastinación, dejándolas para el último minuto. (You were attacking tasks with procrastination, leaving them until the last minute.)

Nosotros atacábamos el proyecto con un enfoque innovador. (We were attacking the project with an innovative approach.)

Él atacaba los obstáculos con perseverancia y coraje. (He was attacking obstacles with perseverance and courage.)

Ustedes atacaban las debilidades del sistema con ingenio. (You were attacking the weaknesses of the system with ingenuity.)

Ellos atacaban los prejuicios con educación y respeto. (They were attacking prejudices with education and respect.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

Spanish English
Yo atacaba I was attacking
Tú atacabas You were attacking
Él / Ella / Usted atacaba He / She / You was attacking
Nosotros / Nosotras atacábamos We were attacking
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes atacaban They / You all were attacking

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.