Invitaban

Invitaban is the imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb invitar, meaning to invite. It denotes past actions of inviting that were habitual, repeated, or ongoing, or provides background information in a narrative. Depending on context, it can be translated as “they were inviting” or “they used to invite.”

Conjugation and usage: In the imperfect, invitar's third-person plural form is invitaban. The full imperfect paradigm is: yo invitaba, tú invitabas, él/ella/usted invitaba, nosotros invitábamos, vosotros invitabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes invitaban. This form is used to describe past actions that were habitual or ongoing, often with time expressions such as cuando, a menudo, todos los veranos, o en aquel tiempo. Examples: When we were children, my grandparents invited us to the country house. Cuando éramos niños, mis abuelos nos invitaban a la casa de campo. In those years, they invited several neighbors to the party. En aquellos años, invitaban a varios vecinos a la fiesta.

Notes: Invitaban should not be confused with the preterite forms invitó or invitaron, which refer to completed past actions. The imperfect emphasizes repetition or background setting rather than a single event. Etymology: the form derives from invitar, from Latin invitare, meaning to invite.