Marcar Imperfect Tense in Castilian Spanish

The Imperfect Tense of marcar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Marcaba el número de mi amigo cada noche. (I used to dial my friend’s number every night.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Marcar (to mark) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

Pronoun Conjugation
Yomarcaba
marcabas
Él / Ella / Ustedmarcaba
Nosotros / Nosotrasmarcábamos
Vosotros / Vosotrasmarcabais
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedesmarcaban

Boost Your Memorization with Audio!

We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Marcar (to mark) 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 Marcar in the Imperfect Tense

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

To mark or make a mark: For example, Marcaba los libros con un lápiz. (I used to mark the books with a pencil.)

To score or make a goal: For example, Marcaba muchos goles cuando jugaba al fútbol. (I scored many goals when I played soccer.)

To dial a number: For example, Siempre marcaba mal los números de teléfono. (I always dialed the phone numbers wrong.)

To indicate or point out: For example, El profesor marcaba los errores con un rotulador rojo. (The teacher used to mark the mistakes with a red marker.)

To emphasize or stress: For example, Marcaba mucho las palabras cuando hablaba. (I used to stress the words a lot when I spoke.)

To set or establish: For example, La moda marcaba las tendencias de cada temporada. (Fashion used to set the trends for each season.)

To leave a mark or impression: For example, Aquel accidente me marcó para siempre. (That accident left a mark on me forever.)

To follow or track (colloquial): For example, Marcaba todos los movimientos de mi rival. (I was following all the movements of my rival.)

Examples

Examples of Marcar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo marcaba los números en mi teléfono antiguo. (I used to dial the numbers on my old phone.)

Ella marcaba la diferencia en el equipo con su liderazgo. (She made the difference on the team with her leadership.)

Nosotros marcábamos las páginas importantes del libro con un resaltador. (We used to highlight the important pages of the book with a marker.)

marcabas la ruta en el mapa antes de viajar. (You used to mark the route on the map before traveling.)

Vosotros marcabais las tendencias de moda con vuestro estilo único. (You all used to set fashion trends with your unique style.)

Ellos marcaban los goles con celebraciones eufóricas. (They used to celebrate goals with euphoric celebrations.)

Ustedes marcaban la diferencia en la comunidad con su trabajo voluntario. (You all used to make a difference in the community with your volunteer work.)

Yo marcaba las fechas importantes en el calendario para no olvidarlas. (I used to mark important dates on the calendar so I wouldn’t forget them.)

Ella marcaba el ritmo de la clase de baile con sus movimientos enérgicos. (She used to set the pace of the dance class with her energetic moves.)

Nosotros marcábamos las páginas web favoritas en nuestros navegadores. (We used to bookmark our favorite websites in our browsers.)

marcabas las zonas peligrosas en el mapa antes de explorar. (You used to mark the dangerous areas on the map before exploring.)

Vosotros marcabais la diferencia en el vecindario con vuestras iniciativas ecológicas. (You all used to make a difference in the neighborhood with your eco-friendly initiatives.)

Ellos marcaban los puntos importantes en sus presentaciones con un puntero láser. (They used to point out important points in their presentations with a laser pointer.)

Ustedes marcaban las tendencias culinarias con sus recetas innovadoras. (You all used to set culinary trends with your innovative recipes.)

Yo marcaba los errores en los ensayos de mis estudiantes con un lápiz rojo. (I used to mark the errors in my students’ essays with a red pencil.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Marcar (to mark) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

Spanish English
Yo marcaba I was marking
Tú marcabas You were marking
Él / Ella / Usted marcaba He / She / You (formal) was marking
Nosotros / Nosotras marcábamos We were marking
Vosotros / Vosotras marcabais You all were marking
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes marcaban They / You all (formal) were marking

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.