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Conjugation Chart

“Obedecer” (to obey) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Obedecer”

The Imperfect Tense of obedecer is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo obedecía a mis padres cuando era niño. (I used to obey my parents when I was a child.)

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

How to Use Obedecer in the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense of obedecer is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as well as descriptions and states of being.

Obedecía a sus padres: Ella obedecía a sus padres cuando era niña. (She obeyed her parents when she was a child.)

Habitual or repeated action: For example, Cuando era joven, obedecía todas las reglas de la casa. (When I was young, I obeyed all the house rules.)

Ongoing action: For example, Mientras mi hermano obedecía a mamá, yo desobedecía. (While my brother obeyed mom, I disobeyed.)

Description: For example, Era un niño que obedecía a sus mayores. (He was a child who obeyed his elders.)

Slang/Idiomatic: For example, ¡Obedece a tu vieja o te saco la mugre! (Obey your mom or I’ll beat you up!)

Real Life Examples of Obedecer in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, obedecía a mis padres sin cuestionar. (When I was a child, I obeyed my parents without questioning.)

Mi hermana obedecía las reglas de la casa, pero yo a veces las rompía. (My sister obeyed the house rules, but I sometimes broke them.)

El perro obedecía los comandos de su dueño en el parque. (The dog obeyed its owner’s commands at the park.)

Aunque no estaba de acuerdo, obedecía las instrucciones de mi jefe. (Although I didn’t agree, I obeyed my boss’s instructions.)

En la escuela, los alumnos obedecían las reglas establecidas por los maestros. (At school, the students obeyed the rules set by the teachers.)

Ella obedecía las señales de tránsito para evitar multas. (She obeyed the traffic signs to avoid fines.)

Durante el entrenamiento militar, los reclutas obedecían las órdenes de sus superiores sin rechistar. (During military training, the recruits obeyed their superiors’ orders without complaint.)

A pesar de las protestas, la multitud obedecía las instrucciones de la policía. (Despite the protests, the crowd obeyed the police’s instructions.)

Mis abuelos obedecían las tradiciones familiares con devoción. (My grandparents obeyed family traditions with devotion.)

El equipo de fútbol obedecía las estrategias del entrenador durante el partido. (The soccer team obeyed the coach’s strategies during the game.)

Aunque no entendía la razón, obedecía las reglas de la comunidad. (Although I didn’t understand the reason, I obeyed the community’s rules.)

Los empleados obedecían el código de vestimenta de la empresa. (The employees obeyed the company’s dress code.)

Ella obedecía las recomendaciones del médico para mejorar su salud. (She obeyed the doctor’s recommendations to improve her health.)

Aunque era difícil, obedecía la dieta estricta para bajar de peso. (Although it was difficult, I obeyed the strict diet to lose weight.)

El público obedecía las indicaciones del personal de seguridad durante el concierto. (The audience obeyed the security staff’s instructions during the concert.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Obedecer (to obey) 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.