The Imperfect Tense of Demostrar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example: Demostraba mis habilidades en la clase de arte. (I used to demonstrate my skills in art class.)
Demostrar is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the typical pattern for that verb type.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Demostrar (to demonstrate) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):
Pronoun | Conjugation |
---|---|
Yo | demostraba |
Tú | demostrabas |
Él / Ella / Usted | demostraba |
Nosotros / Nosotras | demostrábamos |
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | demostraban |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Demostrar (to demonstrate) 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 Demostrar in the Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense of demostrar is used to describe ongoing, repeated or habitual actions in the past.
Expressing an ongoing action in the past: For example, Demostraba mi habilidad en el escenario. (I was demonstrating my ability on stage.)
Describing repeated or habitual actions: For example, Cada semana demostraba mis conocimientos en la clase. (Every week I used to demonstrate my knowledge in class.)
Expressing actions in progress at a specific time in the past: For example, A las 3 pm demostraba cómo hacer una receta. (At 3 pm I was demonstrating how to make a recipe.)
Describing physical or emotional states in the past: For example, Demostraba mucha paciencia con los niños. (I was demonstrating a lot of patience with the kids.)
Colloquial usage: In some Latin American contexts, demostrar can be used informally to mean “to show off” or “to flaunt”, for example: Siempre demostraba su nuevo carro a sus amigos. (He was always showing off his new car to his friends.)
Examples
Examples of Demostrar in the Imperfect Tense
Yo demostraba mi habilidad para cocinar platillos nuevos. (I was demonstrating my ability to cook new dishes.)
Ellos demostraban su amor por la música tocando en la calle. (They were demonstrating their love for music by playing in the street.)
Tú demostrabas mucha paciencia con los niños inquietos. (You were demonstrating a lot of patience with the restless children.)
Ella demostraba su talento en el escenario cada noche. (She was demonstrating her talent on stage every night.)
Nosotros demostrábamos nuestro apoyo asistiendo a las protestas. (We were demonstrating our support by attending the protests.)
Él demostraba sus habilidades de liderazgo en el trabajo. (He was demonstrating his leadership skills at work.)
Ustedes demostraban mucho entusiasmo en la clase de baile. (You all were demonstrating a lot of enthusiasm in the dance class.)
Ellas demostraban su creatividad con los diseños de moda. (They were demonstrating their creativity with fashion designs.)
Yo demostraba mi conocimiento del idioma hablando con fluidez. (I was demonstrating my knowledge of the language by speaking fluently.)
Tú demostrabas tu valentía al escalar esa montaña. (You were demonstrating your bravery by climbing that mountain.)
Nosotros demostrábamos nuestro compromiso con el medio ambiente reciclando. (We were demonstrating our commitment to the environment by recycling.)
Ellos demostraban su pasión por el deporte entrenando duro. (They were demonstrating their passion for the sport by training hard.)
Ella demostraba su habilidad para resolver problemas en situaciones difíciles. (She was demonstrating her ability to solve problems in difficult situations.)
Ustedes demostraban su generosidad donando a causas benéficas. (You all were demonstrating your generosity by donating to charitable causes.)
Ellas demostraban su dedicación al estudio pasando horas en la biblioteca. (They were demonstrating their dedication to studying by spending hours in the library.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Demostrar (to demonstrate) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:
Spanish | English |
---|---|
Yo demostraba | I was demonstrating |
Tú demostrabas | You were demonstrating |
Él / Ella / Usted demostraba | He / She / You was demonstrating |
Nosotros / Nosotras demostrábamos | We were demonstrating |
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes demostraban | They / You all were demonstrating |
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.