Acompanhava

Acompanhava is the imperfect indicative form of the Portuguese verb acompanhar. It is used to describe a past action that was ongoing or habitual, typically translating to "I/he/she was accompanying" or "I/he/she used to accompany" in English. As a transitive verb, acompanhar means to accompany someone to a place, to keep company, or to attend and monitor something, and it can also be used figuratively to indicate something that goes with or complements another thing (for example, music accompanying a scene or a report that accompanies data).

Etymology and usage notes: acompanhar originates from a verb meaning to accompany or attend. The imperfect form such as acompanhava conveys background action in narratives or routine past activities. It appears in both Brazilian and European Portuguese with similar meanings, and it can pair with a direct object or with phrases like "de perto" (closely) or "junto a" (alongside).

Common senses and phrases include:

- to accompany someone to a location (eu acompanhava o amigo ao hospital)

- to keep someone company (ela acompanhava a idosa no passeio)

- to accompany something, such as music or documentation (a música acompanhava a cena; o relatório acompanhava as tendências)

Examples:

- Eu acompanhava meus pais ao parque quando era criança. (I used to accompany my parents to the park.)

- A música acompanhava a cena durante toda a apresentação. (The music accompanied the scene throughout the performance.)

Acompanhava can be contrasted with acompanhar in other tenses to express different nuances of time and aspect.