Acompañabas

Acompañabas is the second-person singular imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb acompañar. It translates to “you were accompanying” or “you used to accompany” in English and is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past.

A verb in the imperfect is formed with the endings -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban for regular -ar verbs. Therefore, the form acompañabas corresponds to tú. The imperfect contrasts with the preterite form acompañaste, which marks a completed past action. The corresponding forms for other persons are acompañaba (él/ella/usted), acompañábamos, acompañabais, acompañaban.

The imperfect is used to set background in narratives, describe ongoing activities, or indicate repetition in the past. Acompañabas can describe physically accompanying someone to a place, offering support, or even conveying figurative accompaniment, such as accompanying someone’s ideas with examples or with music and dance.

Examples:

- Cuando éramos niños, tú acompañabas a mi familia a la playa cada verano. (When we were kids, you used to accompany my family to the beach every summer.)

- Durante la caminata, tú acompañabas a tu abuela mientras ella contaba historias. (During the hike, you were accompanying your grandmother as she told stories.)

- En una pieza musical, la melodía puede ser acompañada por la orquesta; en ese caso, la orquesta acompañaba la voz. (In music, the orchestra can accompany the singer.)

Origin and related terms:

Acompañar derives from the idea of providing company or going with someone. Related nouns include la compañía (company) y el acompañante (companion).