dejaba

Dejaba is the imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb dejar. It is used to describe past actions without focusing on their start or end, to depict habitual or ongoing states in the past, or to set background circumstances in a narrative. The imperfect conveys continuity or repetition rather than a completed moment.

The verb dejar has several related senses. Literally, it can mean to leave behind or to abandon something or someone, as in a sentence like “Yo dejaba las llaves sobre la mesa” (I used to leave the keys on the table). It can also mean to permit or allow, for example “no me dejaba entrar” (he wouldn’t let me in). A frequent construction is dejar de + infinitive, which expresses stopping or ceasing an action; for instance, “dejaba de fumar” can be translated as “I was quitting smoking” or “I used to stop smoking.” In narrative use, dejaba helps describe habitual past behavior or ongoing situations.

Conjugation in the imperfect is: yo dejaba, tú dejabas, él/ella/usted dejaba, nosotros dejábamos, vosotros dejabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes dejaban. This form contrasts with the preterite dejar (dejé, dejó), which marks completed past actions. Dejar also appears in compound tenses with haber and in various periphrastic constructions, contributing to its wide range of meanings in past contexts.