pactabas

Pactabas is the second-person singular imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb pactar, meaning “you were agreeing” or “you used to agree.” It is formed from the infinitive pactar, an -ar verb, with the imperfect ending -abas for the tú form. The form is commonly used to describe past actions that were habitual, repeated, or ongoing at a certain time in the past, rather than a single completed act.

Etymology and morphology: Pactar derives from Latin pactum, meaning an agreement, with the usual Spanish verb-formation patterns. The imperfect tense expresses ongoing or repeated negotiations, settlements, or commitments in the past. The subject pronoun tú is often implied by the verb ending, but can be included for emphasis.

Usage notes: Pactabas appears in narrative and dialogue to convey routine past behavior or a gradual process of reaching agreements. It contrasts with pactaste, the preterite form used for a completed pact, or with pactaba (he/she was agreeing) for third-person reference. In compound tense constructions, pactabas can be combined with other imperfect verbs to set a past scene.

Examples: “Cuando trabajábamos juntos, pactabas condiciones más favorables.” “En aquella época, tú pactabas con frecuencia términos que beneficiaban a ambas partes.” These illustrate habitual negotiations over time rather than a single event.

See also: pactar, the infinitive verb meaning to agree or bargain, and related forms such as pactaba, pactabas, pactábamos, pactabais, pactaban.