tomabais

Tomabais is the second-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb tomar. It is used with the pronoun vosotros, primarily in Spain and regions where the vosotros form is standard. The imperfect tense, or pretérito imperfecto, expresses past actions without a defined endpoint, often describing habitual or ongoing activities in the past.

Usage notes:

- Tomabais corresponds to “you all were taking” or “you all used to take/drink” in English.

- In most of Latin America, where the vosotros form is not used, the corresponding imperfect form for ustedes is tomaban, so the distinction between vosostros and ustedes affects the conjugation used.

Examples:

- Antes de la cena, vosotros tomabais agua mientras charlábais. (Before dinner, you all were/drank water while you all talked.)

- Cuando éramos niños, vosotros tomabais el tren todos los días para ir al pueblo. (When we were kids, you all used to take the train every day to go to the village.)

Form and related forms:

- Other imperfect forms of tomar with vosotros include tomabais, en contraste con tomabas (tú), tomaba (él/ella), tomábamos (nosotros), tomaban (ustedes/ellos).

- The tense can appear in narration to set background past actions or describe repeated past activities.

Significance:

- Tomabais illustrates how the Spanish vosotros paradigm shapes past-tense expression in regions where this pronoun is customary.

- Learners often encounter tomabais in literature or spoken Spanish from Spain, whereas Latin American texts typically use tomabais less and rely on vosotros forms primarily in Spain-specific contexts.