The Imperfect Tense of cobrar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo cobraba mi sueldo cada mes. (I used to collect my salary every month.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Cobrar (to charge, collect) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

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

Receiving payment: For example, Yo cobraba mi sueldo cada quincena. (I used to receive my salary every two weeks.)

Collecting money: For example, El cobrador cobraba las cuentas de los vecinos. (The collector used to collect the bills from the neighbors.)

Charging a fee: For example, El banco cobraba una comisión por cada transacción. (The bank used to charge a fee for each transaction.)

Slang: Hitting or striking: For example, Le cobraba a mi hermano cuando me hacía enojar. (I used to hit my brother when he made me angry.)

Examples

Examples of Cobrar in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, mi abuelo cobraba su pensión todos los meses. (When he was a child, my grandfather collected his pension every month.)

La empresa cobraba una tarifa adicional por el envío exprés. (The company charged an additional fee for express shipping.)

Antes, el gobierno cobraba impuestos más altos sobre las importaciones. (Before, the government charged higher taxes on imports.)

Ellos cobraban la entrada al concierto por adelantado. (They charged for admission to the concert in advance.)

El mecánico cobraba por hora por sus servicios. (The mechanic charged by the hour for his services.)

Nosotros cobrábamos una cuota de membresía anual en el club. (We charged an annual membership fee at the club.)

Tú cobrabas el alquiler a tus inquilinos cada mes, ¿verdad? (You collected rent from your tenants every month, right?)

Vosotros cobrabais un recargo por los pedidos urgentes. (You charged a surcharge for rush orders.)

Ellas cobraban una comisión por vender productos de belleza. (They charged a commission for selling beauty products.)

Yo cobraba propinas generosas cuando trabajaba como mesero. (I earned generous tips when I worked as a waiter.)

Ustedes cobraban una tarifa de cancelación por las reservas canceladas. (You charged a cancellation fee for canceled reservations.)

El artista cobraba miles de dólares por cada actuación en vivo. (The artist charged thousands of dollars for each live performance.)

Vosotros cobrabais un recargo por el servicio a domicilio. (You charged a surcharge for home delivery service.)

Ella cobraba honorarios elevados por sus servicios de consultoría. (She charged high fees for her consulting services.)

El abogado cobraba por adelantado antes de tomar un caso. (The lawyer charged upfront before taking a case.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Cobrar (to charge, collect) 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.