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Conjugation Chart of “Calentar” (to heat) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Calentar”

The Imperfect Tense of calentar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo calentaba la comida todos los días. (I used to heat up the food every day.)

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

How to Use Calentar in the Imperfect Tense

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

Warming up: For example, Yo calentaba la comida antes de servirla. (I was warming up the food before serving it.) This refers to the action of heating something up, like food or a room.

Getting heated or excited: For example, El ambiente se calentaba con las discusiones acaloradas. (The atmosphere was getting heated with the heated discussions.) This usage refers to things or situations becoming more intense or passionate.

Slang: Getting turned on: For example, Esa película me calentaba. (That movie was turning me on.) In informal contexts, it can mean becoming sexually aroused.

Real Life Examples of Calentar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo calentaba la comida mientras mi esposa ponía la mesa. (I was heating up the food while my wife set the table.)

Cuando era niño, mi abuela calentaba la casa con una estufa de leña. (When I was a child, my grandmother heated the house with a wood stove.)

El equipo calentaba antes del partido para evitar lesiones. (The team was warming up before the game to avoid injuries.)

La discusión calentaba los ánimos entre los manifestantes. (The discussion was heating up the mood among the protesters.)

El instructor calentaba los músculos de los estudiantes antes de la clase de yoga. (The instructor was warming up the students’ muscles before the yoga class.)

La pelea calentaba cada vez más entre los dos boxeadores. (The fight was heating up more and more between the two boxers.)

El clima calentaba tanto que tuvimos que prender el aire acondicionado. (The weather was heating up so much that we had to turn on the air conditioning.)

Ella calentaba las tortillas en la estufa antes de servirlas. (She was heating up the tortillas on the stove before serving them.)

El debate político calentaba los ánimos de los simpatizantes de ambos partidos. (The political debate was heating up the spirits of supporters from both parties.)

Nosotros calentábamos el agua para preparar un té caliente. (We were heating up the water to prepare a hot tea.)

La competencia calentaba entre los corredores mientras se acercaban a la meta. (The competition was heating up among the runners as they approached the finish line.)

El entrenador calentaba a los jugadores antes del partido importante. (The coach was warming up the players before the important game.)

La tensión calentaba el ambiente en la sala de juntas durante la reunión. (The tension was heating up the atmosphere in the boardroom during the meeting.)

Ellos calentaban las manos frotándolas una contra la otra por el frío intenso. (They were warming up their hands by rubbing them together because of the intense cold.)

La música calentaba el ambiente en la fiesta y todos bailaban sin parar. (The music was heating up the atmosphere at the party and everyone was dancing non-stop.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Calentar (to heat) 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.