The Imperfect Tense of darse is used to describe actions or states that were ongoing or repeated in the past, for example, Me daba cuenta de que estaba equivocado. (I was realizing that I was wrong.)

Darse is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the standard pattern for that verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Darse (to occur to) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The imperfect tense of darse is used to describe actions or states that were ongoing or repeated in the past.

To give oneself: For example, Siempre me daba cuenta de lo que pasaba. (I always realized what was happening.)

To happen, to occur: For example, Se daban muchas fiestas en ese barrio. (Many parties used to happen in that neighborhood.)

To hit or bump into something: For example, Me daba con la puerta cada vez que entraba. (I bumped into the door every time I entered.)

To surrender, to give up: For example, Nunca se daba por vencido. (He never gave up.)

To dedicate oneself to something: For example, Se daba a la bebida. (He was given to drinking.)

To pretend, to act: For example, Siempre se daba aires de grandeza. (He always acted like he was important.)

To rush, to hurry (colloquial): For example, Me daba prisa para llegar a tiempo. (I hurried to get there on time.)

Examples

Examples of Darse in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, me daba miedo la oscuridad. (When I was a child, I was afraid of the dark.)

Antes, se daban cuenta de que estaban equivocados. (Before, they realized they were wrong.)

Ella se daba cuenta de que necesitaba cambiar su estilo de vida. (She realized she needed to change her lifestyle.)

Nosotros nos dábamos prisa para llegar a tiempo a la reunión. (We hurried to arrive on time for the meeting.)

Tú te dabas por vencido demasiado rápido. (You gave up too quickly.)

Ellos se daban cuenta de que estaban perdiendo el tiempo. (They realized they were wasting time.)

Vosotros os dabais cuenta de que era una mala idea. (You realized it was a bad idea.)

Ustedes se daban cuenta de que necesitaban más práctica. (You realized you needed more practice.)

Yo me daba cuenta de que estaba cometiendo un error. (I realized I was making a mistake.)

Ella se daba a la fuga cada vez que tenía la oportunidad. (She took to flight whenever she had the chance.)

Nosotros nos dábamos cuenta de que teníamos que ser más pacientes. (We realized we had to be more patient.)

Tú te dabas cuenta de que estabas mejorando poco a poco. (You realized you were improving little by little.)

Ellos se daban cuenta de que estaban perdiendo el tiempo con excusas. (They realized they were wasting time with excuses.)

Vosotros os dabais cuenta de que era una situación complicada. (You realized it was a complicated situation.)

Ustedes se daban cuenta de que necesitaban más práctica. (You realized you needed more practice.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Darse (to occur to) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.