diste

Diste is the second person singular preterite form of the Spanish verb dar, meaning to give. It indicates a completed act of giving performed by the subject “tú” (the informal you) in the past. Dar is irregular in the preterite; the full conjugation is di (yo), diste (tú), dio (él/ella/Ud.), dimos (nosotros), disteis (vosotros), dieron (ellos/ellas/Uds.).

Diste is commonly used with time markers such as ayer, la semana pasada, o hace unos días to locate the action in time. It can appear with direct and indirect object pronouns, as in “Me diste un regalo” (you gave me a gift) or “Le diste las llaves” (you gave him/her the keys).

In narrative, diste conveys a simple, completed past action. It contrasts with the imperfect form “daba” (or “dabas”) which expresses habitual past actions or descriptions when using the verb dar in the imperfect tense.

Etymology and forms: the verb dar comes from Latin dare. In Spanish, the preterite forms reflect irregular development from that root, with distinct endings for each subject pronoun. The form diste specifically corresponds to the second person singular, reinforcing the distinction between tú and other subjects in past narration.