revelaba

Revelaba is the imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb revelar, meaning to reveal or disclose information, and also to develop film. The form revelaba corresponds to first-person singular or third-person singular subject in the imperfect tense (yo revelaba, él revelaba, ella revelaba, usted revelaba). The imperfect expresses ongoing past actions, habitual past actions, or background information.

Origin and senses: revelar comes from Latin revelāre, from re- “undo” or “un-” plus velāre “to veil,” in the sense of uncovering. In modern Spanish, revelar has two common senses: to disclose information or to uncover facts, and to develop photographic film. The imperfect revelaba can be used with either sense depending on context.

Usage and nuance: In narrative or reporting, revelaba can indicate that something was gradually disclosed or that a pattern of disclosure occurred over time, as in el informe revelaba indicios de fraude. It can also express habitual past actions, such as cuando era joven, él revelaba secretos. In photography, revelaba means “was developing the film,” as in ayer revelaba una foto. The imperfect contrasts with the preterite reveló, which marks a completed disclosure, and with presente revela, which occurs in the present.

See also: Related verbs such as descubrir (to discover) and divulgar (to disclose broadly) share similar semantic fields. Revelar remains the principal term for both unveiling information and processing photographic film in Spanish.

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