The Imperfect Tense of encender is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo encendía la televisión todas las noches. (I used to turn on the TV every night.)

Encender is a regular -er verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the regular pattern for that verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Encender (to turn on) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

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

To light or turn on: For example, Todas las noches encendía las velas para leer. (Every night I would light the candles to read.)

To ignite or start a fire: For example, Los campistas encendían una fogata para calentarse. (The campers would light a campfire to keep warm.)

To turn on (electronics): For example, Siempre encendía la radio mientras cocinaba. (I would always turn on the radio while cooking.)

To excite or arouse (slang): For example, Las canciones románticas lo encendían. (The romantic songs would turn him on.)

Examples

Examples of Encender in the Imperfect Tense

Yo encendía la televisión todas las noches para ver las noticias. (I used to turn on the TV every night to watch the news.)

Ella encendía las velas cuando llegaba a casa para crear un ambiente relajante. (She would light candles when she got home to create a relaxing atmosphere.)

Nosotros encendíamos la chimenea en invierno para calentar la casa. (We used to light the fireplace in winter to heat the house.)

Ellos encendían las luces navideñas cada diciembre para decorar el vecindario. (They would turn on the Christmas lights every December to decorate the neighborhood.)

Tú encendías el horno antes de cocinar para precalentarlo. (You would turn on the oven before cooking to preheat it.)

Cuando era niño, encendía la radio para escuchar música mientras hacía la tarea. (When I was a kid, I would turn on the radio to listen to music while doing homework.)

Mi abuela encendía el ventilador en los días calurosos para refrescarse. (My grandmother would turn on the fan on hot days to cool off.)

En la oficina, encendíamos la computadora por la mañana para comenzar a trabajar. (At the office, we would turn on the computer in the morning to start working.)

Ellas encendían las velas durante los apagones para tener luz. (They would light candles during power outages to have light.)

Cuando encendía el aire acondicionado, la habitación se enfriaba rápidamente. (When I would turn on the air conditioning, the room would cool down quickly.)

En la fiesta, encendíamos la música para animar el ambiente. (At the party, we would turn on the music to liven up the atmosphere.)

Mis amigos y yo encendíamos una fogata en el campo para asar malvaviscos. (My friends and I would light a campfire in the countryside to roast marshmallows.)

Cuando encendía el motor del coche, a veces tardaba en arrancar. (When I would turn on the car engine, it sometimes took a while to start.)

En el restaurante, el mesero encendía las velas en la mesa para crear un ambiente romántico. (At the restaurant, the waiter would light candles on the table to create a romantic atmosphere.)

Antes de salir de casa, encendía las luces para asegurarme de no olvidar nada. (Before leaving the house, I would turn on the lights to make sure I didn’t forget anything.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Encender (to turn on) in the Imperfect Tense 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.