mojábamos

Mojábamos is the imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb mojar in the nosotros/nosotras person. It is used to describe an ongoing or habitual action in the past in which something was being wetted or soaked. The verb mojar is transitive and takes a direct object, as in mojábamos las manos or mojábamos las botas.

In the imperfect tense for -ar verbs, the endings are -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban. Therefore mojábamos is formed from the stem moj- plus the ending -ábamos. The form can be contrasted with other imperfect forms such as mojabas, mojaba, mojabais, and mojaban.

Usage notes: mojábamos commonly appears in narrative descriptions to set a scene or describe repeated past actions. It can denote physical wetting, for example, “Cuando llovía, mojábamos las botas en los charcos.” It can also appear in plural contexts referring to groups that were wetting objects or surfaces at a past moment.

Etymology: the verb mojar comes from Spanish, with cognates in related Iberian Romance languages, such as Portuguese molhar (to wet). The exact historical origin is not always clear, but the verb shares the general meaning of making something damp or wet.

See also: mojar, conjugation of Spanish verbs, imperfect indicative.