Aplaudías

Aplaudías is the second-person singular imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb aplaudir. It expresses a past action of clapping that was ongoing or habitual when addressing the informal you (tú). Depending on context, it can be translated as "you were applauding" or "you used to applaud."

Morphology and related forms

The form is built from the stem aplaud- plus the imperfect ending -ías for the tú form in -ir verbs. In the imperfect tense, -er and -ir verbs share the same endings: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían. Other typical forms of aplaudir include aplaudo (present), aplaudas (present you), aplaudía (he/she/you formal or imperfect), aplaudemos (we), aplaudíais (you all), and aplaudían (they/you all formal). The corresponding past participle is aplaudido, and the gerund is aplaudiendo.

Usage

Aplaudías is common in narrative and dialogue to set a past scene or describe repeated past actions. It contrasts with the preterite aplaudaste, which would indicate a single, completed act of clapping. The imperfect form often conveys duration, habitual behavior, or background activity during another event.

Example

Tú aplaudías cada vez que terminaba la canción. (You were clapping every time the song ended.) En aquellos conciertos, tú aplaudías con entusiasmo tras cada solo. (In those concerts, you used to applaud enthusiastically after each solo.)

Etymology

Aplaudir comes from the Latin applaudere, meaning to clap or strike with applause, and likely entered Spanish through Latin roots and Romance languages that inherited the term.