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Yo iba a chupar el helado desesperadamente, pero se desmoronaba.

Yo iba a chupar el helado desesperadamente, pero se desmoronaba.
I was going to lick the ice cream desperately, but it was crumbling.
From Lesson 442:Unfulfilled intentions (iba a)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Yo iba a chupar el helado desesperadamente, pero se desmoronaba.

Why do we use the imperfect iba a chupar instead of the preterite fui a chupar here?
Using the imperfect of ir + a + infinitive expresses a past intention (I was going to...) that usually did not end up happening. This is the standard way to express an unfulfilled intention. If you used the preterite fui a, it would mean you actually went and completed the action.
Doesn't chupar mean 'to suck'? Why is it translated as 'to lick' here?
You are right that chupar literally means 'to suck' and lamer is the direct translation for 'to lick'. However, in many parts of Latin America, people colloquially use chupar when talking about eating ice cream, lollipops, or hard candies.
What is the purpose of the se in se desmoronaba?
The verb used here is the pronominal verb desmoronarse, which means 'to crumble' or 'to fall apart' on its own. Without the se, the base verb desmoronar means to actively destroy or cause something else to crumble.
Why is desmoronaba also in the imperfect tense rather than the preterite?
The imperfect is used here to describe an ongoing background condition in the past. The ice cream was actively in the process of crumbling at the exact same time you were having the unfulfilled intention to eat it.

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