apuntaban
Apuntaban is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb apuntar. The verb apuntar has several related meanings, including to point or to aim (as with a finger or a firearm), to write down or note something for later reference, to indicate or suggest, and to intend or plan to achieve a goal (often used with the preposition a, as in apuntar a). The imperfect tense signals past actions that were ongoing, habitual, or set as background in a narrative.
In usage, apuntaban can describe physical pointing or aiming in the past, as in los exploradores apuntaban
The term is common in everyday Spanish and in journalism, fiction, and academic writing. The form aligns