apuntabais

Apuntabais is the second-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb apuntar. In standard Spanish, it corresponds to "you all were pointing" or "you all used to point" in the sense of directing attention or aiming at something, and it can also mean "you all were jotting down notes" when apuntar is used in the sense of taking notes. The form reflects the vosotros conjugation, which is common in Spain and other regions that use the informal plural second person; in many Latin American varieties, the equivalent past habitual is expressed with ustedes and the imperfect (ustedes apuntaban).

Usage and notes

Apuntar is a regular -ar verb, so its imperfect forms follow the typical pattern for -ar verbs. Apuntabais appears primarily in contexts that use the vosotros form, such as narrative passages, dialogues, or instructional material written in Spain. In communities where vosotros is not used, speakers usually replace it with ustedes and the corresponding imperfect (apuntaban).

Conjugation overview

The imperfect tense for apuntar in the vosotros form is apuntabais. Full imperfect conjugation for reference: yo apuntaba, tú apuntabas, él/ella/usted apuntaba, nosotros/as apuntábamos, vosotros/as apuntabais, ellos/as/ustedes apuntaban.

Examples

- You all were noting down all the dates on your notebooks: Ayer, mientras estudiábamos, vosotros apuntabais todas las fechas en vuestros cuadernos. (translation: you all were jotting down all the dates in your notebooks)

- In the museum, you all were pointing at the artworks with your fingers: En el museo, vosotros apuntabais con el dedo hacia las obras.

Etymology

Apuntar derives from the Spanish root associated with pointing or aiming, with the -ar infinitive formed into the regular verb class. The imperfect vosotros form apuntabais reflects standard Old Spanish and modern Spanish verb morphology.