Provocábamos

Provocábamos is a Spanish verb form that comes from provocar. It is the indicative mood, in the imperfect tense, first-person plural, corresponding to “we provoked” or “we were provoking.” This form describes actions that occurred in the past with a sense of duration, repetition, or background context.

As an imperfect form, provocábamos is commonly used to indicate habitual past actions or ongoing circumstances in narrative or descriptive prose. Depending on the context, it can express that the speakers caused a result or simply initiated a provocation that affected others. In both senses, the action is viewed as not completed or as part of a past pattern rather than a single finished event.

Usage note: provocábamos follows the regular -ar verb pattern in the imperfect: -ábamos as the ending for nosotros/nosotras. It can take direct objects such as reacciones, discusiones, o sentimientos, for example: “Provocábamos reacciones encontradas” or “Provocábamos discusiones cada vez que se mencionaba ese tema.” The meaning can lean toward “we caused” something (provocar a alguien, una reacción) or “we were provoking” in the sense of inciting ongoing responses.

Etymology: provoco from provocar, which derives from Latin provocare (to call forth, to challenge).

Related forms include provocas, provoca, provocamos, provocáis, provocan, covering the other person and tense options in the same verb family.