tardaba

Tardaba is the imperfect tense form of the Spanish verb tardar, which means to delay or to take a long time. In the imperfect, tardaba expresses ongoing or repeated action in the past, and can translate roughly as “was taking a long time” or “used to take a long time” depending on the context and subject.

The verb tardar derives from Latin tardus, meaning slow, and is cognate with other Romance-language forms that express lateness or delay. Tardaba appears in conjugations with various subjects: yo tardaba, tú tardabas, él/ella/usted tardaba, nosotros tardábamos, vosotros tardabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes tardaban.

Common uses include describing delays in processes, events, or arrivals. For example: “La entrega tardaba más de lo esperado” (The delivery was taking longer than expected), or “Él tardaba en llegar a casa” (He was slow to get home / He took a long time to arrive home).

In addition to its role as a verb form, tardaba is not typically used as a standalone noun or concept in standard Spanish. It may appear in literary or colloquial contexts as part of a larger sentence, or as a form referring to a specific subject in past narratives. There are no widely recognized entities, organizations, or proper nouns universally known by the name tardaba.

See also: tardar, conjugation of tardar, imperfect tense in Spanish.