Permitían

Permitían is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb permitir. In translations it corresponds to "they allowed" or "they were allowing." It is used to describe habitual, ongoing, or background permission in the past, rather than a single completed action.

Etymology and morphology: permitir comes from the Latin permittere, meaning to let through or to allow. In Spanish, the imperfect indicative endings for -er/-ir verbs are -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían; thus permitían literally combines the stem permit- with the ending -ían. The accent on í marks the standard pronunciation of the imperfect endings.

Usage and nuance: permitían often signals a past pattern of permission or tolerance rather than a specific instance of granting permission. It can describe social norms, rules, or practices that prevailed over time. It may be contrasted with pretérito perfecto simple (permitieron) to distinguish habitual past permission from a particular occasion when permission was granted.

Examples:

- Los padres permitían quedarse hasta medianoche los fines de semana. (The parents allowed staying up until midnight on weekends.)

- En aquella escuela, los maestros permitían traer libros de consulta a clase. (In that school, teachers allowed bringing reference books to class.)

Related forms: permitir (infinitive), permite (él/ella/usted present), permitía (él/ella/usted imperfect), permitiría (conditional), permitido (past participle). The form permitían is specifically the imperfect plural, used with subjects such as ellos, ellas, or ustedes.