Mencionaban

Mencionaban is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb mencionar. It denotes an action of mentioning that occurred in the past with a sense of duration, repetition, or background in a narrative. As an regular -ar verb, the endings follow the standard imperfect pattern: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban, so mencionar becomes mencionaban for ellos/ellas/ustedes.

In use, mencionar is transitive and typically takes a direct object to indicate what is being mentioned, such as a proposal, a person, a fact, or a topic, and may be followed by phrases that specify context, explanation, or indirect speech. Mencionaban can appear in reported speech to relay what people used to say or bring up in conversations or meetings. It contrasts with mencionaron, the simple past tense that points to a completed act, or with mencionarán, the future tense.

Examples illustrate its function: “Durante la reunión, mencionaban varias soluciones.” “Los investigadores mencionaban al principio que los resultados eran preliminares.” These sentences show how the imperfect form signals habitual or ongoing past activity rather than a single, concluded mention.

Related terms include mencionar, mención (the noun form), and synonyms such as aludir or citar, though usage can differ slightly depending on precision and nuance.