averiábamos

Averiábamos is the imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb averiar, used with the first-person plural subject "nosotros" to express a past, ongoing, or habitual action that caused damage or a fault to something. The verb averiar is transitive and means to damage, impair, or render inoperative a device, machine, vehicle, or system.

Conjugation and form

In the imperfect tense, the principal forms are:

- Yo averiaba

- Tú averiabas

- Él/Ella averiaba

- Nosotros averiábamos

- Vosotros averiabais

- Ellos/Ellas averiaban

The form averiábamos specifically denotes "we were damaging" or "we used to damage." The verb can also appear in reflexive or impersonal constructions, such as "se averiaba" to describe a device breaking down, or "averiarse" to become faulty.

Usage and nuance

Averiar is commonly employed in technical, automotive, industrial, and mechanical contexts. Averiábamos emphasizes an active agent causing damage in the past, whereas other forms like se avería or se averiaron describe faults occurring to devices or systems rather than actions by a subject. The term is more frequent in narrative descriptions of maintenance, operations under stress, or scenarios involving faulty equipment.

Etymology and related terms

Averiar derives from the noun avería, meaning a fault or breakdown. Related terms include avería (fault), averiado/a (damaged or faulty), and averiación (rarely used), as well as the verbal pair averiarse, meaning to become faulty.

Examples

- Durante las pruebas, averiábamos varias piezas para evaluar su resistencia.

- El tren se averiaba con frecuencia en esas condiciones climáticas.