Provocaban

Provocaban is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb provocar, meaning to provoke, incite, or cause. It describes an ongoing or repeated action in the past that produced an effect or reaction. The imperfect tense emphasizes duration, habit, or setting rather than a single completed event, making provocaban suitable for narrative or descriptive contexts.

Etymology and related forms: Provocarlo derives from Latin provocare, literally “to call forth” or “to challenge.” The verb has other conjugations in various tenses: provocó (preterite, they provoked), provocar (to provoke), and related nouns such as provocación (provocation) and provocador/provocadora (provocateur).

Usage: Provocaban is commonly used to depict actions or statements that continuously or repeatedly elicited responses, such as indignation, fear, or conflict. It can refer to people, groups, policies, or events. For example, in a historical or literary text, one might read: “Las campañas propagandísticas provocaban tensiones en la población.” In narrative prose, it helps to set the scene by signaling ongoing provocation during a period.

Grammatical notes: Provocaban appears with sujetos plurales en tercera persona (ellos, ellas, ustedes). It contrasts with the preterite provocaron, which signals a completed act. The verb is regular in its conjugation pattern for -ar verbs, sharing its endings with otros verbos de la misma clase.

See also: Provocación, provocador, provocar.