salpicaba

Salpicaba is the imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb salpicar, meaning to splash, spray, or soil with liquid. In the imperfect tense, salpicaba is used for several persons depending on the subject: yo salpicaba, él salpicaba, ella salpicaba, and similarly for the other persons (nosotros salpicábamos, vosotros salpicabais, ellos salpicaban). The imperfect conveys ongoing, repeated, or background action in the past.

In literal use, salpicaba describes liquid being thrown or scattered, for example: La lluvia salpicaba las ventanas, El charco salpicaba sus zapatos. Metaphorically, it can indicate that something affected or touched a broader area, as in las noticias salpicaban a la ciudad (the news reached many people). The form can appear in narrative to describe backdrop action.

Grammatically, salpicaba is one form of salpicar, an -ar verb. Related forms include salpico, salpicas, salpica (present), salpicamos, salpican; the gerund salpicando and the past participle salpicado appear in compound tenses (ha salpicado, habían salpicado).

The verb salpicar derives from the root salpic- plus the -ar infinitive suffix; it is a native Spanish verb and part of everyday vocabulary. It is commonly used in both literal contexts of liquids and in figurative expressions describing influence, reach, or exposure.