ofertabais

Ofertabais is the second-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb ofertar, meaning you all were offering or you all offered. It is used with the vosotros subject, a form common in Spain and other regions that maintain the vosotros paradigm. In dialects that do not use vosotros, such as much of Latin America, the corresponding past tense would typically be expressed with the ustedes form (for example, ofertaban).

Conjugation and forms: the infinitive is ofertar, with the imperfect endings for -ar verbs being -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban. Therefore, the imperfect forms are: yo ofertaba, tú ofertabas, él/ella/usted ofertaba, nosotros ofertábamos, vosotros ofertabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes ofertaban.

Usage: the imperfect denotes past actions that were habitual, repeated, or ongoing rather than completed. In narrative or descriptive prose, ofertabais can describe common or continual offers in a past context, such as in market scenes or business discussions. Because the form relies on the second-person plural vosotros, it is most frequently encountered in Spain or regions where ustedes is paired with vosotras/vosotros in other tenses but where the vosotros form remains standard.

Etymology and grammar: ofertar derives from Latin offerre, and the form ofertabais reflects the regular imperfect pattern for -ar verbs in Spanish. It highlights how past habitual actions are encoded in different regional varieties of the language.

Example: Antes de cerrar el trato, vosotros ofertabais varias condiciones para evaluar. En aquellos años, ofertabais continuamente descuentos para atraer clientes.