bombardava

Bombardava is the imperfect indicative form of the Portuguese verb bombardar, meaning to bombard. As a conjugated verb form, bombardava does not refer to a standalone concept; its meaning is determined by context, typically signaling ongoing or habitual bombardment in the past. It appears in narrative prose, journalism, and everyday speech when describing historical events or ongoing actions.

Etymology and cognates: The verb bombardar belongs to the Romance family and is related to terms for bombardment across European languages. Its cognates include French bombarder and Italian bombardare. The noun form bombardamento (in Portuguese bombardamento) refers to the act or process of bombardment, and related terms appear in other languages with similar roots.

Usage and forms: In Portuguese, bombardar is a regular -ar verb. The imperfect forms include eu bombardava, tu bombardavas, ele bombardava, nós bombardávamos, eles bombardavam. The imperfect conveys that the action was ongoing in the past or recurring over a period. By contrast, the aorist/preterite bombardou describes a completed act, and future bombardará describes a future bombardment. The form bombardava can occur in various registers, from literary to contemporary news reporting, depending on tense and voice.

Examples:

- O exército bombardava a cidade há dias. (The army had been bombarding the city for days.)

- Durante a campanha, várias cidades eram bombardadas pela força aérea. (During the campaign, several cities were being bombarded by the air force.)

- Ele bombardava repetidamente as margens com artilharia. (He was repeatedly bombarding the shores with artillery.)

See also: Bombardamento, bombardar, Portuguese verb conjugation, history of artillery.