necesitábamos

Necesitábamos is a Spanish verb conjugation. It is the first-person plural imperfect indicative form of the verb "necesitar," which means "to need." This form translates to "we needed" in English.

The imperfect tense in Spanish is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, as well as to set the scene or describe states of being in the past without a specific beginning or end. Therefore, "necesitábamos" would be used in sentences where the speaker is referring to a past need that was continuous or habitual. For example, "Necesitábamos más tiempo para completar el proyecto" translates to "We needed more time to complete the project." This implies that the need for more time was ongoing during the project's duration.

Another common use of the imperfect is to describe conditions or circumstances in the past. If someone were to say, "Cuando éramos jóvenes, necesitábamos poca cosa para ser felices," it would mean "When we were young, we needed little to be happy." Here, "necesitábamos" describes a general state of need in the past.

The conjugation "necesitábamos" is distinct from other past tenses like the preterite, which would be "necesitamos" (we needed, but with a completed action). The imperfect is crucial for conveying nuanced past actions and situations in Spanish.