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Conjugation Chart

“Merecer” (to deserve) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Merecer”

The Imperfect Tense of merecer is used to describe actions that were ongoing or repeated in the past, for example, Yo merecía un premio por mi arduo trabajo. (I deserved a prize for my hard work.)

Merecer is a regular -er verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the standard pattern for this verb type.

How to Use Merecer in the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense of merecer is used to describe actions or states that were ongoing or repeated in the past.

To deserve or merit something: For example, Merecías un premio por tu esfuerzo. (You deserved a prize for your effort.)

To be worthy of something: For example, No merecía su confianza. (He didn’t deserve her trust.)

To be up to the task (colloquial): For example, No merecía para ese trabajo tan difícil. (He wasn’t up to that difficult job.)

To earn or be owed something (idiomatic): For example, ¿Qué hiciste para merecer ese castigo? (What did you do to earn that punishment?)

To be deserving of punishment or consequences (rude): For example, Mereces que te den una paliza por mentiroso. (You deserve to get beaten up for being a liar.)

Real Life Examples of Merecer in the Imperfect Tense

Yo merecía un descanso después de trabajar tanto. (I deserved a break after working so hard.)

Ella merecía un aumento de sueldo por su dedicación. (She deserved a raise for her dedication.)

Ellos merecían ganar el premio por su excelente trabajo. (They deserved to win the award for their excellent work.)

Tú merecías una oportunidad para demostrar tus habilidades. (You deserved a chance to demonstrate your skills.)

Nosotros merecíamos un poco más de respeto por parte de nuestros compañeros. (We deserved a little more respect from our colleagues.)

Él merecía un castigo por su mal comportamiento. (He deserved punishment for his bad behavior.)

Ustedes merecían una explicación más detallada. (You deserved a more detailed explanation.)

Yo merecía un poco más de paciencia de parte de mi jefe. (I deserved a little more patience from my boss.)

Ella merecía una segunda oportunidad para arreglar las cosas. (She deserved a second chance to fix things.)

Ellos merecían un poco de diversión después de tanto trabajo. (They deserved some fun after so much work.)

Tú merecías un poco más de crédito por tu esfuerzo. (You deserved a little more credit for your effort.)

Nosotros merecíamos una mejor explicación de las reglas. (We deserved a better explanation of the rules.)

Él merecía un poco más de comprensión de parte de su familia. (He deserved a little more understanding from his family.)

Ustedes merecían una disculpa sincera por el malentendido. (You deserved a sincere apology for the misunderstanding.)

Yo merecía un poco más de tiempo libre para relajarme. (I deserved a little more free time to relax.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Merecer (to deserve) in the Imperfect 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.