callábamos

"Callábamos" is the first-person plural imperfect indicative form of the verb "callar," which means "to keep quiet" or "to be silent" in Spanish. The imperfect tense is used to describe past actions that were habitual, ongoing, or repeated, and it is often translated into English as "we were keeping quiet" or "we were being silent."

The verb "callar" itself is a regular -ar verb, which means that its conjugation follows the standard pattern for such verbs in Spanish. The imperfect tense is formed by taking the first-person singular form of the verb (which is "callaba" for "callar") and adding the appropriate endings for each subject pronoun.

In the context of "callábamos," the verb is in the first-person plural, indicating that the action was performed by "we" or "nosotros/nosotras." This form is used to discuss past habits or actions that were repeated or habitual, such as "Every day, we were keeping quiet in the library" or "We were being silent during the meeting."

The imperfect tense is an important aspect of Spanish grammar, as it allows speakers to express a range of past actions and states, providing a more nuanced understanding of events that occurred in the past.