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Conjugation Chart

“Darse” (to occur to) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Darse”

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.

How to Use Darse in the Imperfect Tense

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

To give oneself: For example, Antes me daba un baño todas las mañanas. (Before, I used to take a bath every morning.)

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

To realize, become aware: For example, No me daba cuenta de lo que estaba pasando. (I didn’t realize what was happening.)

To surrender, give up: For example, El equipo no se daba por vencido. (The team didn’t give up.)

To hit, strike (colloquial): For example, Me di un porrazo contra la pared. (I hit myself hard against the wall.)

To get high, intoxicated (slang): For example, Anoche me di una buena pedota. (Last night I got really wasted.)

Real Life Examples of Darse in the Imperfect Tense

Yo me daba cuenta de que necesitaba cambiar mi estilo de vida. (I realized that I needed to change my lifestyle.)

Ella se daba por vencida fácilmente cuando las cosas se ponían difíciles. (She easily gave up when things got tough.)

Nosotros nos dábamos ánimos mutuamente antes de la gran carrera. (We encouraged each other before the big race.)

Tú te dabas mucha importancia, ¿verdad? (You thought highly of yourself, didn’t you?)

Ellos se daban codazos cada vez que veían a alguien atractivo. (They nudged each other every time they saw someone attractive.)

Ella se daba a la fuga cada vez que tenía problemas. (She ran away every time she had problems.)

Nosotros nos dábamos cuenta de que el tiempo se nos acababa. (We realized that our time was running out.)

Tú te dabas aires de grandeza, pero en realidad eras muy humilde. (You acted arrogant, but you were actually very humble.)

Ellos se daban con todo en el trabajo, sin importar las dificultades. (They gave their all at work, no matter the difficulties.)

Yo me daba cuenta de que necesitaba más tiempo para estudiar. (I realized that I needed more time to study.)

Ella se daba a la tarea de cocinar comidas deliciosas todos los días. (She made it her task to cook delicious meals every day.)

Nosotros nos dábamos cuenta de que el proyecto era demasiado ambicioso. (We realized that the project was too ambitious.)

Tú te dabas golpes en la cabeza cada vez que cometías un error. (You hit your head every time you made a mistake.)

Ellos se daban la mano en señal de apoyo mutuo. (They held hands as a sign of mutual support.)

Yo me daba cuenta de que necesitaba más práctica para mejorar mi español. (I realized that I needed more practice to improve my Spanish.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

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

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.