Adoptaban

Adoptaban is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb adoptar, meaning to adopt. It translates to “they were adopting” or “they used to adopt” in English, depending on context. This form is commonly found in narrative past contexts or descriptions of habitual actions.

Grammatically, adoptaban is formed from the stem adopt- plus the imperfect endings for -ar verbs (-aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban). The infinitive is adoptar, and the imperfect tense is used to indicate ongoing actions in the past, rather than completed ones. Etymologically, adoptar derives from Latin adoptare, from ad- (toward) and optare (to choose).

Usage, nuances and context: adoptaban is used to describe past activities that were continuous, repeated, or habitual, or to establish a background setting in a story. It appears in clauses that set the scene or describe a sequence of past events without signaling a definite endpoint.

Examples: Durante la crisis, muchas familias adoptaban mascotas de refugios. Cuando vivía en esa ciudad, mis vecinos adoptaban perros abandonados cada invierno. En aquella época, las parejas adoptaban con frecuencia para ampliar la familia. These examples illustrate ongoing or habitual past actions rather than completed events.

Related forms and terms: adoptar (infinitive), adopción (adoption), adoptante (adopter), adopted/adocted forms such as adoptado(a) for the past participle. The imperfect form adoptaban contrasts with the preterite adoptaron, which indicates a completed action in the past.