The Imperfect Tense of cortar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo cortaba el césped todos los sábados. (I used to mow the lawn every Saturday.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Cortar (to cut) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

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

Cutting or slicing something: For example, Yo cortaba el pan todas las mañanas. (I used to cut the bread every morning.)

Trimming or pruning: For example, Ella cortaba las ramas secas del árbol. (She used to trim the dry branches from the tree.)

Interrupting or stopping something: For example, El profesor nos cortaba cuando hablábamos demasiado. (The teacher used to cut us off when we talked too much.)

Slang: Ending a relationship: For example, Mi novia me cortaba cada dos meses. (My girlfriend used to break up with me every two months.)

Idiomatic: Interrupting someone’s speech: For example, Siempre me cortaba cuando intentaba explicar algo. (He/she always used to cut me off when I tried to explain something.)

Rude: Farting: For example, ¡Deja de cortar, huele fatal! (Stop farting, it smells awful!)

Examples

Examples of Cortar in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, cortaba el césped todos los sábados. (When I was a child, I used to mow the lawn every Saturday.)

Mi abuela cortaba las verduras con un cuchillo muy afilado. (My grandmother used to chop the vegetables with a very sharp knife.)

Ellos cortaban el papel con unas tijeras enormes. (They used to cut the paper with huge scissors.)

Tú cortabas el cabello de tu hermano cuando erais pequeños. (You used to cut your brother’s hair when you were little.)

Nosotros cortábamos las uñas de nuestro perro cada mes. (We used to trim our dog’s nails every month.)

Ella cortaba las flores del jardín para decorar la casa. (She used to cut flowers from the garden to decorate the house.)

Vosotros cortabais el queso en rebanadas delgadas. (You used to slice the cheese into thin slices.)

Ustedes cortaban la carne en trozos pequeños para el guiso. (You used to cut the meat into small pieces for the stew.)

Yo cortaba el pan con un cuchillo serrado. (I used to cut the bread with a serrated knife.)

Él cortaba la leña para la chimenea todos los inviernos. (He used to chop firewood for the fireplace every winter.)

Ellas cortaban las telas con mucho cuidado para hacer vestidos. (They used to cut the fabrics very carefully to make dresses.)

Tú cortabas las uñas de tus pies cada dos semanas. (You used to trim your toenails every two weeks.)

Nosotros cortábamos las ramas de los árboles para mantener el jardín ordenado. (We used to trim the branches of the trees to keep the garden tidy.)

Vosotros cortabais el pelo de vuestros hijos en casa. (You used to cut your children’s hair at home.)

Ellos cortaban las patatas en rodajas para hacer chips caseras. (They used to slice potatoes to make homemade chips.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Cortar (to cut) 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.