contenían

Contenían is a Spanish verb, the imperfect indicative form of the verb contener. It translates to "they contained," "you all contained," or "it contained" depending on the context and the subject of the sentence. The imperfect tense in Spanish is used to describe ongoing actions or states of being in the past, as well as habitual actions or descriptions in the past. Therefore, "contenían" would be used when discussing something that was holding or included something else over a period of time in the past, or as part of a description of a past situation. For example, "Los baúles contenían tesoros" means "The chests contained treasures," implying a continuous state of being full of treasure in the past. Similarly, "Las instrucciones contenían advertencias importantes" means "The instructions contained important warnings," referring to the content of the instructions at a past time. The verb's root, "tener" (to have), indicates the core meaning of holding or possessing.