yo daba

gave, used to give, made (someone) feel sorry, used to beat

ˈd a b a → dar
d to give + aba Imperfect past (yo/él/ella/usted)
verb · 1st-person singular / 3rd-person singular, imperfect tense Common #9,823
gave, used to give
SP: La música daba tranquilidad a todos.
EN: The music gave everyone a sense of calm.
made (someone) feel sorry
SP: El perro daba lástima.
EN: The dog made you feel sorry for it.
used to beat Often used in the phrase dar palizas, meaning to beat someone badly.
SP: El hombre daba palizas a sus vecinos.
EN: The man used to beat up his neighbors.
Conjugation of dar
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
First daba —
Second dabas —
Third daba daban
Subjunctive imperfect
SingularPlural
First daba —
Second dabas —
Third daba daban

No daba crédito a lo que veían mis ojos.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

Daba muestras de gran emoción.

He showed signs of great emotion.

Nos daba pena.

We felt sorry for them.

— Vivir (1952)

A ellos no les gustaba la manera en que él les daba órdenes a todos.

They didn't like the way he gave orders to everyone.

Este hombre daba la vida por proteger la mía.

This man was laying down his life to protect mine.

— Sonidos vecinos (2012)

Daba gusto tenerte.

It was a pleasure having you around.

— Casi famosos (2000)

Vi que su coche daba un giro a la derecha.

I saw his car make a right turn.

Por supuesto, mi madre siempre daba la nota.

Of course, my mother always stood out.

— Titanic (1997)

Todos ponían algo y yo les daba copias de las fotos.

Everyone contributed something and I gave them copies of the photos.

— Ciudad de Dios (2002)

El amo del caballo lo cuidaba con un cariño que daba gusto ver.

The horse's owner cared for him with a loving attention that was a joy to behold.

Él no era el tipo de padre que daba mucha importancia a tales cuestiones.

He wasn’t the kind of father who attached much importance to such matters.

Su corazón daba saltos de alegría.

Her heart leaped with joy.

Daba seguridad.

It instilled a sense of security.

— Las diabólicas (1955)

Era tan torpe, daba tanta lástima.

He was so clumsy, he was so pathetic.

— Stalker (1979)

Fui al banco a sacar dinero y había una cola enorme que daba la vuelta a la esquina.

I went to the bank to withdraw money and there was a huge queue that went around the corner.

No podía comprar drogas, no daba para más.

I couldn't afford to buy drugs; I was broke.

— Crímenes de familia (2020)

Con éste se acabó lo que se daba.

With this, what was given is over.

Daba más dinero que las apuestas, y Jimmy lo controlaba todo.

It paid more than gambling, and Jimmy controlled everything.

— Buenos Muchachos (1990)

Ya te daba por perdido.

I had already given you up for lost.

— Los Siete Samuráis (1954)

¿Te daba vergüenza estar con una chica?

Were you embarrassed to be with a girl?

— La vida de Adèle (2013)

Era así de buena, pero no se daba cuenta de adónde iba a parar todo esto.

She was that good, but she had no idea where all of this was headed.

¿Le daba palizas o qué?

Did he beat him up or what?

— Perros de Reserva (1992)

El cabrón dijo que me lo daba sólo si le besaba el suyo.

The bastard said he'd only give it to me if I kissed his.

— Carandiru (2003)

Pero nadie me lo daba.

But nobody would give it to me.

— PK (2014)

Daba lo mismo.

It didn't matter.

— Buenos Muchachos (1990)

Nos daba las gracias y tocaba su trompeta.

He would thank us and play his trumpet.

— La strada (1954)

El libro no daba ni una pista sobre qué era aquello.

The book didn’t give a single clue about what that was.

Ese tipo daba una sensación extraña.

That guy gave off a strange feeling.

La vieja lámpara daba una tenue luz.

The old lamp gave off a dim light.

Yo daba por sentado que él iba a ser un miembro.

I assumed he was going to be a member.

Daba unas propinas fantásticas.

He gave fantastic tips.

Carajo, si fuese tu madre, te daba una paliza.

Damn, if I were your mother, I'd beat you up.

— Estación central (1998)

Daba por hecho que ya te sabías todo el rollo.

I assumed you already knew the whole story.

Daba mucho miedo.

It was very scary.

Tomás dijo que se te daba bien el ajedrez.

Tomás said you were good at chess.

Nos daba lata con sus quejas.

He was annoying us with his complaints.

Sabía que llegarías al amanecer, si no te daba una hora.

I knew you'd arrive at dawn if I didn't give you an hour.

— Un buen ladrón (2025)

Ay, ya me imaginaba que todo esto que nos daba no era gratis.

Oh, I figured all this stuff they were giving us wasn’t free.

— Pedro Páramo (2024)

Daba charlas gratis sobre cómo ganar dinero y cuidar de él.

He gave free talks on how to make money and manage it.

Se acabó lo que se daba.

It's over what was given.

La casa no daba signos de vida.

The house showed no signs of life.

Y nos daba de patadas toda la noche mientras dormía.

And she’d kick us all night while she slept.

— Familia (2023)

Daba por sentado que Tom podía hablar francés.

I assumed that Tom could speak French.

Sounds similar to