Resistían

Resistían is a Spanish verb in the imperfect indicative tense, third-person plural form. It translates to "they were resisting" or "they used to resist" in English. This verb form describes an ongoing or habitual action in the past.

The verb "resistir" from which "resistían" is derived, means to withstand, to oppose, to endure, or to hold out against something. Therefore, "resistían" would be used in a sentence to indicate that a group of people or things were continuously in a state of opposition or endurance against a force, influence, or hardship. For example, "Los soldados resistían el ataque enemigo" would mean "The soldiers were resisting the enemy attack."

The imperfect tense is crucial here as it conveys a sense of continuity or a state that existed over a period of time in the past, rather than a single completed action. It can also be used to describe background actions that were happening when something else occurred. The subject of "resistían" would be a plural entity, such as a group of people, animals, or even inanimate objects that possess the capability to withstand. The context of the sentence would determine the specific nature of what was being resisted.