Recomendábamos

Recomendábamos is the first-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb recomendar, meaning that we were recommending or we used to recommend in the past. It expresses a past action that was habitual, repeated, or ongoing, rather than a completed single event.

Grammatical notes: The imperfect tense of -ar verbs corresponds to endings -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban. Therefore, the forms for recomendar are: yo recomendaba, tú recomendabas, él/ella recomendaba, nosotros/as recomendábamos, vosotros/as recomendabais, ellos/as recomendaban. The form is commonly used without an explicit subject when the subject is clear from context. Distinguish this from the subjunctive imperfect recomendáramos/recomendásemos, which appears in subordinate clauses expressing wishes, hypothetical situations, or nonreal conditions.

Usage: Recomendábamos is used to describe past habits, general guidance given over a period, or actions that were typical in the past. It can appear in narrative descriptions or in reported speech about previous advice or suggestions. It does not convey a sense of a single completed action; that nuance is usually conveyed with the preterite or perfect tense.

Etymology: Recomendar comes from the Latin commendare, meaning to entrust or commend, and the imperfect form mirrors the regular conjugation pattern of -ar verbs in Spanish.

Examples:

- Cuando trabajábamos en ese equipo, recomendábamos revisar el presupuesto cada semana. (When we were working on that team, we recommended reviewing the budget each week.)

- A los clientes, les recomendábamos la versión básica y les explicábamos sus ventajas. (We used to recommend the basic version to clients and explain its advantages.)