Retrasabas

Reetrasabas is the second-person singular form in the imperfect indicative of the Spanish verb retrasar, which means to delay or to cause something to fall behind. This form describes an ongoing or habitual action in the past and is used with the subject tú in standard Spanish.

Formation and morphology: retrasar is a regular -ar verb. In the imperfect tense the endings for -ar verbs are -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban. Therefore, the tú form is retrasabas, built from the stem retras- plus the ending -abas.

Usage and examples: Retrasabas is used to set the scene in the past or to describe repeated delays. Example: Antes de la reunión, tú retrasabas la entrega de los informes. Translation: Before the meeting, you were delaying the delivery of the reports. This form emphasizes the process or habit of delaying rather than a single completed action.

Regional variation: In dialects that use the vos form, the corresponding imperfect form is retrasabás, with stress on the last syllable. In standard Spanish, the form tú retrasa-bas is the common construction.

Related forms and contrasts: The imperfect retrasabas contrasts with the preterite retrasaste, which marks a completed action in the past. The present imperfect is used for ongoing past actions, while the preterite is used for a definite past moment or a completed event. The base verb retrasar can be used with other subjects and tenses to express similar nuances.