dirigías

Dirigías is the second-person singular form of the verb dirigir in the imperfect indicative in Spanish. It corresponds to tú dirigías and translates to you directed or you were directing, indicating a past action that was ongoing, habitual, or describes the background of a scene.

Use and nuances

The imperfect tense, including dirigías, is used to describe past actions without focusing on their beginning or end. It often conveys repetition or routine in the past, or sets the scene in narrative prose. Examples: “Tú dirigías la empresa durante la crisis,” meaning you were directing the company during the crisis; “Antes, dirigías el equipo los fines de semana,” indicating a habitual past role.

Contrast with other tenses

Dirigías differs from present tense diriges (you direct) and from the preterite dirigiste (you directed, a completed action). It should not be confused with the imperfect subjunctive forms like dirigieras, which appear in subordinate clauses after expressions of doubt, doubt, or necessity.

Formation notes

Dirigías is formed from the stem dirig- plus the imperfect endings -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían, with the accent on the í in each form: dirigía, dirigías, dirigía, dirigíamos, dirigíais, dirigían. The accent helps indicate the imperfect stress pattern in this verb.

Related usage

As a form of dirigir, it may appear in literary, narrative, or conversational Spanish where past, ongoing leadership or management actions are described.