esperaba

Esperaba is a form of the Spanish verb esperar, meaning to wait or to hope. It is the imperfect indicative form, used for actions or states in the past that were ongoing or habitual. The form appears in two grammatical persons: yo esperaba (I was waiting / I used to wait) and él/ella/usted esperaba (he/she/you were waiting / he/she/you used to wait). Depending on context, it can also express past hopes or expectations, as in I was hoping or I hoped.

Usage examples illustrate its dual sense. In narrative, it sets a scene of ongoing activity: “Esperaba el tren cuando empezó a llover” (I was waiting for the train when it began to rain). In expressions of hope about a past event: “Esperaba que llegara a tiempo” (I was hoping he would arrive on time). The imperfect contrasts with the preterite esperé, which marks a completed past action.

Etymology and cognates: esperar derives from Latin exspectāre, meaning to look out for or to wait for. Related forms exist in other Romance languages, such as Portuguese esperava and Italian aspettava, reflecting the same root.

Notes on usage: esperaba conveys continuity or repetition in the past and is common in storytelling, reports, and everyday speech. It is not a noun and is not capitalized unless it begins a sentence. The related verb esperar has broader senses, including expectation and longing, that are expressed in different tenses and moods.