respondía

Respondía is a Spanish verb form derived from the verb "responder," meaning "to respond" or "to answer." Specifically, it is the third-person singular imperfect indicative tense. This tense is used to describe actions that were ongoing or habitual in the past, or to provide background information about a past event.

For example, in the sentence "El perro respondía a todas las llamadas," the verb "respondía" indicates that the dog habitually responded to all calls in the past. Another example is "Ella respondía las preguntas con mucha calma," which suggests that she was in the habit of answering questions calmly. The imperfect tense in "respondía" emphasizes the continuous or repeated nature of the action rather than a single, completed event.

The imperfect tense is distinct from the preterite tense, which would describe a completed action in the past. If the sentence were "El perro respondió a la llamada," it would imply that the dog responded once. "Respondía" therefore carries a sense of ongoing activity or a state of being in the past. It is a common and versatile form used in a wide range of narrative and descriptive contexts in Spanish.