No. 17,772 in Russian
улыбался
Smiled.
In a sentence
Я посмотрел на него, и он улыбался.
I looked at him, and he was smiling.
The verb 'улыбался' is used to express an ongoing action in the past, showing that the person was in the process of smiling.
Он улыбался, вспоминая что-то приятное.
He was smiling, remembering something pleasant.
Here, 'улыбался' indicates a repeated or habitual action in the past, as the act of smiling is accompanied by recollection.
Когда я пришёл, он уже улыбался.
When I arrived, he was already smiling.
Notice that 'улыбался' in this context places emphasis on the state of smiling that was occurring at the specific time of the arrival.
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