Cocinaban

Cocinaban is the imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb cocinar, meaning they were cooking or they used to cook. It is used in narratives to describe ongoing actions in the past or habitual past actions, rather than completed actions. It is not a proper noun or a standalone concept.

Etymology and morphology: The verb cocinar derives from cocina—kitchen—ultimately from Latin coquina. The imperfect form cocinaban is formed by adding the imperfect endings to the stem cocin-; for ustedes/ellos/ellas the ending is -aban. The full conjugation of this verb in the imperfect includes: yo cocinaba, tú cocinabas, él cocinaba, nosotros cocinábamos, vosotros cocinabais, ellos cocinaban.

Usage and nuance: In narrative Spanish, cocinaban often appears with temporal clauses such as mientras, cuando, or antes. Examples: "Los niños cocinaban mientras los adultos preparaban la mesa" (The children were cooking while the adults set the table). "Cuando vivía en el pueblo, cocinaban cada domingo." It contrasts with the preterite cocinaron, which signals a completed action. The imperfect form can convey habitual activity or set a scene in the past.

Usage notes: Cocinaban is widely used in both spoken and written Spanish and remains a common choice for describing past culinary activity, scenes in literature, and reports of routine behavior. It is one of the standard imperfect forms that recur in everyday language.