The Imperfect Tense of enfermar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example: Yo me enfermaba cada invierno. (I used to get sick every winter.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Enfermar (to get sick) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The imperfect tense of enfermar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, or to set the scene for another past action.

Getting sick: For example, Cuando era niño, me enfermaba mucho. (When I was a child, I used to get sick a lot.)

Being sick: For example, Mi abuela se enfermaba cada invierno. (My grandmother would get sick every winter.)

Figurative usage: For example, La economía se enfermaba más cada año. (The economy was getting sicker each year.) This usage implies a gradual worsening of a situation.

Colloquial/Slang: In some Latin American countries, enfermar can be used in a rude way to mean “to annoy or bother”, for example: ¡Deja de enfermarme con tus quejas! (Stop annoying me with your complaints!)

Examples

Examples of Enfermar in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, mi abuela enfermaba con frecuencia. (When I was a child, my grandmother often fell ill.)

El año pasado, enfermaba cada vez que comía mariscos. (Last year, I would get sick every time I ate seafood.)

Antes de las vacaciones, enfermábamos mucho debido al estrés laboral. (Before the holidays, we would often get sick due to work stress.)

En esa época, mi hermano enfermaba a menudo por no abrigarse bien. (Back then, my brother would frequently get sick because he didn’t dress warmly enough.)

Cuando vivíamos en la ciudad, los niños enfermaban más seguido por la contaminación. (When we lived in the city, the children would get sick more often due to pollution.)

Antes de mejorar su dieta, enfermaba cada dos o tres meses. (Before improving their diet, they would get sick every two or three months.)

En el pasado, enfermábamos mucho por no tener acceso a atención médica. (In the past, we would often get sick due to lack of access to medical care.)

Cuando trabajaba en la oficina, enfermaba con frecuencia por el estrés. (When I worked at the office, I would frequently get sick from stress.)

En la universidad, enfermábamos a menudo por no dormir lo suficiente. (In college, we would often get sick from not getting enough sleep.)

De pequeño, enfermaba cada vez que cambiaba de estación. (As a child, I would get sick every time the season changed.)

Antes de vacunarnos, los niños enfermaban con gripe constantemente. (Before getting vaccinated, the children would constantly get the flu.)

En esos días, enfermaba con cualquier resfriado que anduviera por ahí. (In those days, I would get sick from any cold that was going around.)

Cuando viajábamos mucho, enfermábamos seguido por el cambio de clima. (When we traveled a lot, we would often get sick due to the change in climate.)

Antes de fortalecer su sistema inmunológico, enfermaba con cada virus nuevo. (Before strengthening their immune system, they would get sick from every new virus.)

En la temporada de lluvias, enfermábamos más por los cambios bruscos de temperatura. (During the rainy season, we would get sick more often due to the sudden temperature changes.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Enfermar (to get sick) 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.