compitieras

Compitieras is the second person singular form of the pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo (imperfect subjunctive) of the Spanish verb competir. It is used in subordinate clauses to express hypothetical, uncertain, or past-referenced actions, often after verbs of wishing, doubting, or reporting in the past. In English, it corresponds to phrases like “that you competed” or “if you were to compete,” depending on the context.

Formation and variants: The imperfect subjunctive is formed from the third-person plural preterite of competir (compitieron) by removing -ron and adding the imperfect subjunctive endings. The standard pair for this verb is compitiera (él/ella/usted) and compitieras (tú). There is also a second, less common -se form with endings such as compitiese/compitieses and their corresponding conjugations (compitiésemos/compitierais/compitiesen, etc.). The -ra and -se variants are both correct; the -ra forms are more widespread in everyday usage, while the -se forms appear in more formal or regional varieties.

Usage notes: Compitieras appears in contexts that require the imperfect subjunctive, such as si clauses (si compitieras...), indirect speech shifted to the past (dijo que compitieras...), or expressions of desire or possibility in a past frame (quería que compitieras). It is one of several conjugation patterns for -er/-ir verbs in this mood, and its correct use depends on the antecedent verb and the syntactic mood of the sentence.

See also: Competir, Imperfecto de subjuntivo, Spanish verb conjugation.