The Imperfect Tense of Cargar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo cargaba las cajas al camión. (I was loading the boxes onto the truck.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Cargar (to load) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

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

To load or carry: For example, Yo cargaba las cajas pesadas al camión. (I was loading/carrying the heavy boxes onto the truck.) This meaning can also be used figuratively, like Cargaba con mucha responsabilidad en el trabajo. (I was carrying/bearing a lot of responsibility at work.)

To charge or load up: For example, Mi teléfono no cargaba bien la batería. (My phone wasn’t charging the battery well.) Or, Cargábamos la camioneta con muebles. (We were loading the truck with furniture.)

To burden or weigh down: For example, Los impuestos cargaban demasiado a la gente. (The taxes were burdening/weighing down people too much.) Or in a more figurative sense, Cargaba con la culpa de lo que había hecho. (I was burdened/weighed down by the guilt of what I had done.)

To charge or bill: For example, El hotel me cargaba demasiado por las bebidas. (The hotel was charging me too much for the drinks.) Or, ¿Cuánto te cargaron por el servicio? (How much did they charge you for the service?)

To reload (a weapon): For example, Los soldados cargaban sus armas antes del combate. (The soldiers were reloading their weapons before the combat.)

Slang: To get drunk or high: For example, Anoche me cargué de tanto beber. (Last night I got really drunk from drinking so much.) Or, Se la pasaba cargado de marihuana. (He spent his time stoned/high on marijuana.)

Examples

Examples of Cargar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo cargaba la maleta con cuidado para no dañar su contenido. (I was carrying the suitcase carefully so as not to damage its contents.)

Ellos cargaban las cajas pesadas con mucho esfuerzo. (They were carrying the heavy boxes with a lot of effort.)

Tú cargabas demasiados libros en tu mochila, por eso te dolía la espalda. (You were carrying too many books in your backpack, that’s why your back hurt.)

Nosotros cargábamos la batería del celular antes de salir de viaje. (We were charging the cell phone battery before leaving on a trip.)

Ella cargaba con la responsabilidad de cuidar a sus hermanos menores. (She was bearing the responsibility of taking care of her younger siblings.)

Vosotros cargabais demasiado peso en vuestras mochilas durante la excursión. (You all were carrying too much weight in your backpacks during the hike.)

Ustedes cargaban las compras del supermercado con dificultad. (You were carrying the grocery shopping with difficulty.)

¿Cargabas la cuenta de la tarjeta de crédito todos los meses? (Were you charging the credit card bill every month?)

El repartidor cargaba las cajas de un lado a otro sin descanso. (The delivery person was carrying the boxes from one side to the other without rest.)

Los atletas cargaban pesas para fortalecer sus músculos. (The athletes were lifting weights to strengthen their muscles.)

Mi abuela cargaba con mucha paciencia a los nietos traviesos. (My grandmother was bearing the mischievous grandchildren with a lot of patience.)

¿Por qué cargabas tantas aplicaciones en tu teléfono si no las usabas? (Why were you loading so many apps on your phone if you weren’t using them?)

Los manifestantes cargaban contra la policía durante la protesta. (The protesters were charging against the police during the protest.)

Vosotros cargabais las baterías de los dispositivos electrónicos antes de viajar. (You all were charging the batteries of the electronic devices before traveling.)

Ellas cargaban con el peso de las tradiciones familiares. (They were bearing the weight of family traditions.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Cargar (to load) 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.