Recibían

Recibían is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb recibir. It expresses actions or states in the past that were habitual, repeated, or in progress, corresponding to “they used to receive” or “they were receiving.” This form contrasts with the preterite recibieron, which denotes a completed past action.

The verb recibir has several senses, including to obtain or receive something as a result, to welcome or host someone, to accept an offer or information, and to admit or take in someone or something. The imperfect form recibían is commonly used to describe routines, ongoing situations, or background context in the past. For example: “Cuando eran jóvenes, recibían muchas visitas” or “Los estudiantes recibían sus diplomas al finalizar la ceremonia.”

Grammatical notes: in the imperfect, -ían is the typical ending for third-person plural in all -ir verbs with the stem changing or irregularities resolved; here the stem is regular as recib-. The corresponding forms for other persons are recibía (yo), recibías (tú), recibía (él/ella/usted), recibíamos (nosotros/as), recibíais o recibíais (vosotros/as, regional variation). The imperfect is distinct from the imperfect subjunctive recibieran or recibiesen and from the conditional recibirían.

Usage considerations: recibían is common in narrative as a backdrop for past events or to indicate repeated past actions. It is frequently found in literature, journalism, and everyday speech when describing past routines, habits, or ongoing scenarios.