leía

Leía is the imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb leer, meaning to read. It is used to describe past actions that were ongoing, repeated, or habitual, or to set the background for other events in the past. It can refer to both the first person singular and the third person singular.

Conjugation and form: In the imperfect, leer takes the endings -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían. The forms are yo leía, tú leías, él/ella/usted leía, nosotros leíamos, vosotros leíais, ellos/ellas/ustedes leían. The accent marks help distinguish the imperfect from other tenses.

Usage and meaning: Leía describes actions without focusing on their completion. It is commonly used for background details, routines, or states in the past, and often appears with time expressions like cuando era niño, a menudo, o todos los días. It contrasts with the preterite, which marks definite, completed events.

Examples:

- Cuando era niño, leía todos los días. (When I/one was a child, I read every day.)

- Ella leía en la biblioteca cuando sonó el timbre. (She was reading in the library when the bell rang.)

- Leía novelas antiguas para distraerse. (She used to read old novels to pass the time.)

Etymology: Leería comes from the verb leer, derived from Latin legere, with the imperfect suffixes that form past habitual actions in Spanish. See also conjugation guides for leer and the imperfect tense.