aludía

Aludía is the imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb aludir, meaning to allude or refer indirectly to something. In the imperfect, aludía describes past actions that were habitual, ongoing, or not completed at a reference time. The form can be used for yo, tú, él/ella, and so on: yo aludía, tú aludías, él aludía, nosotros aludíamos, vosotros aludíais, ellos aludían. The interpretation depends on the subject and context.

Etymology and meaning: aludir derives from Latin alludere, literally “to play with toward,” and has given rise to the noun alusión (an allusion). The core sense remains: to mention something indirectly or to refer to it in a way that points to it without naming it explicitly.

Usage notes: aludir is transitive and typically followed by a prepositional phrase with a or a veces a un hecho, objeto o idea. Common constructions include aludir a alguien o a algo. In narrative or argumentative texts, aludía can express a recurring reference in the past. It is often interchangeable with hacer alusión a, referirse a, or mencionar, though aludir emphasizes indirect reference rather than direct naming.

Examples: El informe aludía a las deficiencias sin entrar en detalles. El ponente aludía a su experiencia pasada para ilustrar el tema. En público, no quería aludir a la controversia, sino a soluciones posibles.

See also: alusión (noun), hacer alusión a, referirse a.