otorgaba

Otorgaba is the imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb otorgar, meaning to grant or to award. It is used to describe past actions of granting that were ongoing, repeated, or habitual, rather than a single completed act. Because the imperfect describes ongoing past events, otorgaba frequently appears in narrative and formal contexts to set a past scene in which permissions, licenses, or privileges were granted over a period of time. The same spelling, otorgaba, is also the third-person singular form, so it can be ambiguous without a clear subject: it can mean “I granted” or “he/she/you formal granted,” depending on the sentence.

Morphology and conjugation: Otorgar is a regular -ar verb; in the imperfect tense it takes the endings -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban. Therefore the forms are: yo otorgaba, tú otorgabas, él/ella/usted otorgaba, nosotros otorgábamos, vosotros otorgabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes otorgaban. The imperfect form contrasts with the preterite otorgó, which marks a completed past granting action, and with otros tenses such as otorgaba in conditional or future.

Usage notes: Otorgaba commonly appears in legal, historical, or literary prose to describe grants made in the past. It is often used when describing recurring permissions or incentives, such as licenses, rights, or subsidies granted over several years. Related forms include otorgado (past participle), otorgante (grantor), and otorgación (granting).

Etymology: The verb otorgar derives from Old French octroyer, meaning to grant, related to the noun octroi in the sense of a grant or concession.