causaban

Causaban is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb causar, meaning "to cause." It corresponds to "they were causing" or "they used to cause" in English.

Grammar and formation: Causar is a regular -ar verb. In the imperfect tense, the endings for all plural persons are -aban, so the stem caus- takes the ending -aban to yield causaban. The form is used for ongoing, repeated, or habitual actions in the past, or to set background circumstances in a narrative.

Usage and context: Causaban appears in past-tense descriptions where the action of causing is not completed at a definite moment but is unfolding over time or recurring. It often appears in descriptive or explanative passages to explain consequences or underlying factors that persisted in the past. It can be contrasted with causaron, the preterite form for a completed action with a definite endpoint, or with causaba, which refers to a singular subject or a different person.

Examples:

- Las lluvias severas causaban inundaciones cada primavera. (The heavy rains caused floods every spring.)

- Las políticas implementadas causaban descontento entre los trabajadores. (The policies implemented caused discontent among the workers.)

- En aquel entonces, los problemas de la fábrica causaban retrasos constantes. (At that time, the factory’s problems were causing constant delays.)

Etymology and related forms: Causar derives from the Latin causa, meaning reason or motive, with the verb forming through Latin-based Romance verb patterns. Related forms include causé (past simple in some regions), causó, causaba, and causarán, spanning various tenses and moods.