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Conjugation Chart of “Sostener” (to hold up, sustain) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Sostener”

The Imperfect Tense of sostener is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example: Yo sostenía la caja mientras mi amigo abría la puerta. (I was holding the box while my friend opened the door.)

This verb follows the standard conjugation pattern for verbs ending in -er in the Imperfect Tense, with the endings -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -ían.

How to Use Sostener in the Imperfect Tense

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

Holding or supporting something: For example, Yo sostenía la caja mientras mi amigo abría la puerta. (I was holding the box while my friend opened the door.)

Maintaining or upholding something: For example, El gobierno sostenía una política de no intervención. (The government maintained a policy of non-intervention.)

Claiming or arguing: For example, Ella sostenía que era inocente. (She claimed that she was innocent.)

Enduring or withstanding: For example, El edificio apenas sostenía el peso de la nieve. (The building could barely withstand the weight of the snow.)

Colloquial usage: For example, ¿Sostenías que eras el mejor jugador? (Were you claiming that you were the best player?)

Real Life Examples of Sostener in the Imperfect Tense

Yo sostenía la puerta para que todos pudieran pasar. (I was holding the door so that everyone could pass through.)

Ellos sostenían una conversación animada sobre política. (They were having a lively conversation about politics.)

Tú sostenías la cuerda con fuerza mientras tu amigo escalaba. (You were holding the rope tightly while your friend climbed.)

Nosotros sosteníamos diferentes opiniones sobre el tema. (We held different opinions on the topic.)

Ustedes sostenían que el cambio climático era un mito. (You all were arguing that climate change was a myth.)

Ella sostenía al bebé con mucho cuidado. (She was holding the baby very carefully.)

Vosotros sosteníais la pancarta en alto durante la manifestación. (You all were holding the banner high during the protest.)

El equipo sostenía la delantera en el marcador. (The team was holding the lead on the scoreboard.)

Mis padres sostenían que debía estudiar más. (My parents were arguing that I should study more.)

La empresa sostenía prácticas poco éticas. (The company was engaging in unethical practices.)

Tú sostenías que no era necesario ahorrar para el futuro. (You were arguing that it wasn’t necessary to save for the future.)

Nosotros sosteníamos una relación a distancia. (We were in a long-distance relationship.)

Ellas sostenían que la igualdad de género era fundamental. (They were arguing that gender equality was essential.)

Vosotros sosteníais la tradición de reuniros en familia cada domingo. (You all were upholding the tradition of gathering as a family every Sunday.)

Él sostenía un discurso apasionado sobre los derechos humanos. (He was giving an impassioned speech about human rights.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Sostener (to hold up, sustain) in the Imperfect Tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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.