agradecía

Agradecía is the imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb agradecer, meaning to express gratitude or to thank. It signals a past action or state of gratitude, either ongoing in the past or habitual. In narrative, it can also convey politeness when referring to past favors or acts of gratitude.

Etymology and meaning: Agradecer comes from the Spanish verb raiz agradecer, related to gratitude or favor. The imperfect form agradecía captures past continuous or habitual thanking or feeling of gratitude.

Conjugation in the imperfect: yo agradecía, tú agradecías, él/ella/usted agradecía, nosotros agradecíamos, vosotros agradecíais, ellos/ellas/ustedes agradecían. This form is used for situations described in the past rather than for a specific completed event.

Usage notes: The imperfect agradecía contrasts with agradeció (preterite), which would refer to a definite past instance of thanking. It can describe ongoing gratitude (I was grateful) or habitual thanking (I used to thank). It is often found with indirect objects indicating to whom gratitude is expressed (te, le, les, etc.).

Examples:

- Agradecía su ayuda desde el primer momento. (I was grateful for his help from the very beginning.)

- Agradecía a sus maestros por la paciencia. (I was grateful to my teachers for their patience.)

- Te agradecía por todo lo que hiciste. (I was thanking you / I was grateful for everything you did.)

See also: agradecer, agradecimiento, agradecido.