Imitar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

imitar means to imitate, and it is one of those verbs that shows up everywhere once you start listening for it. It is a regular -ar verb verb, and this page puts it to work: real example sentences in several tenses, grouped by use, two short passages that show the verb in context, the mistakes learners make with it, a ten-question quiz and answers to common questions. If you only learn one sentence, make it «Yo imito todos los días» — I imitate every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use imitar the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Imitar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

The present is where imitar lives most of the time — routines, facts and what is happening now:

  1. Yo imito todos los días. — I imitate every day.
  2. Tú imitas en el trabajo. — You imitate at work.
  3. Él imita con mi familia. — He imitates with my family.
  4. Nosotros imitamos por la mañana. — We imitate in the morning.

Talking about the past

In the past, choose the preterite for a finished event and the imperfect for a habit or background:

  1. Ayer yo imité por la tarde. — Yesterday I imitated in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo imitaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to imitate every day.
  3. La semana pasada él imitó dos veces. — Last week He imitated twice.

Plans and things already done

The future, the conditional and the present perfect round out the picture — plans, hypotheticals and recent events:

  1. Mañana yo imitaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will imitate without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo imitaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would imitate right now.
  3. Hoy yo he imitado dos veces. — Today I have imitated twice.

More everyday uses

The subjunctive, the imperative and the progressive cover wishes, commands and actions in progress:

  1. Espero que tú imites pronto. — I hope You imitate soon.
  2. ¡imita, por favor! — Imitate, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy imitando. — Right now I am imitating.

Imitar in context

A short dialogue

Ana: «Yo imito en el trabajo.» — I imitate at work. Luis: «¡Qué bien! Yo imito con mi familia.» — I imitate with my family. Ana: «Mañana yo imitaré sin falta.» — Tomorrow I will imitate without fail. Luis: «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo imitaría ahora mismo.» — If I had more time, I would imitate right now. Ana: «Hoy yo he imitado dos veces.» — Today I have imitated twice.

A short paragraph

Ayer yo imité por la tarde. Antes, yo imitaba todos los días. Hoy yo he imitado dos veces. Mañana yo imitaré sin falta.

Yesterday I imitated in the afternoon. In the past, I used to imitate every day. Today I have imitated twice. Tomorrow I will imitate without fail.

Common mistakes with imitar

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo imitaba.

Right: Ayer yo imité.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, imité. The imperfect imitaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

2. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú imitas.

Right: Espero que tú imites.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: imites, not the indicative imitas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No imita.

Right: No imites.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no imites. The affirmative imita can never follow no.

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo imitar todos los días.

Right: Yo imito todos los días.

The infinitive imitar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo imito.

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He imitando.

Right: He imitado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he imitado. The gerund imitando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy imitando»), never with haber.

Quiz: imitar in use

Test yourself on imitar in use. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the nosotros/as form of imitar in the present indicative?

- (a) imita
- (b) imito
- (c) imitamos
- (d) imitas

2. What is the vosotros/as form of imitar in the preterite?

- (a) imité
- (b) imitaste
- (c) imitó
- (d) imitasteis

3. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of imitar in the future?

- (a) imitarán
- (b) imitaré
- (c) imitarás
- (d) imitará

4. What is the yo form of imitar in the present perfect?

- (a) hemos imitado
- (b) has imitado
- (c) ha imitado
- (d) he imitado

5. What is the nosotros/as form of imitar in the imperfect?

- (a) imitaba
- (b) imitabas
- (c) imitábamos
- (d) imitaba

6. What is the gerund of imitar?

- (a) imitando
- (b) imitar
- (c) imito
- (d) imitado

7. What is the past participle of imitar?

- (a) imitando
- (b) imitar
- (c) imité
- (d) imitado

8. Which sentence uses imitar correctly?

- (a) *Yo imitas todos los días.*
- (b) *Yo imita todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo imitar todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo imito todos los días.* — I imitate every day.

9. Which sentence uses imitar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo imitaba por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo imité por la tarde.* — Yesterday I imitated in the afternoon.
- (c) *Ayer yo imitar por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer yo imito por la tarde.*

10. What does imitar mean?

- (a) to ignore
- (b) to imitate
- (c) to matter
- (d) to humiliate

Answer key

1. (c) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of imitar is imitamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the preterite, the vosotros/as form of imitar is imitasteis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the future, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of imitar is imitarán. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (d) — In the present perfect, the yo form of imitar is he imitado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the imperfect, the nosotros/as form of imitar is imitábamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (a) — The gerund of imitar is imitando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy imitando». 7. (d) — The past participle of imitar is imitado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he imitado». 8. (d) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of imitar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (b) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of imitar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (b) — imitar means «to imitate».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I imitate' in Spanish?

Say «Yo imito todos los días». That is the present-tense yo form, and it is the sentence you will use most with this verb.

How do you say 'I imitated' about yesterday?

Say «Ayer yo imité por la tarde». The preterite is the tense for a finished event: yesterday, last week, last night.

Is imitar reflexive?

No — imitar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo imito, tú imitas, él imita. If you see a -se form of a similar verb, that is a different verb with its own meaning.

Which tense do learners find hardest with imitar?

Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (imité) for a single finished event and the imperfect (imitaba) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.

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