comprendían

Comprendían is a Spanish verb, the imperfect indicative third-person plural form of the verb comprender. Comprender translates to "to understand," "to comprehend," or "to include" in English. Therefore, "comprendían" refers to a past action of understanding or comprehending by a group of people or things. It describes a state or habit in the past, rather than a completed event.

For example, if one were to say "Los estudiantes comprendían la lección" (The students understood the lesson), "comprendían" indicates that the students had the ability to grasp the lesson's content during a past period. It suggests a continuous or habitual understanding, not a sudden realization. The imperfect tense is used for ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as well as for descriptions and background information.

In another context, "comprendían" can also mean "included." For instance, "Las opciones comprendían varios tipos de postres" (The options included various types of desserts). Here, it signifies that the options encompassed or contained those particular desserts. The specific meaning of "comprendían" is determined by the surrounding sentence and context. It is a common verb used in Spanish to convey past understanding or inclusion.