cooperaban

Cooperaban is the imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb cooperar, meaning to work together or to cooperate. It corresponds to the English "they were cooperating" or "they used to cooperate." This form is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, often emphasizing collaboration among subjects.

Grammatical notes indicate that cooperar is a regular -ar verb. Cooperaban is the third-person plural form in the imperfect tense, while other forms include cooperaba (él/ella/usted) and cooperabas (tú). The imperfect tense signals habitual past actions or descriptions of past states rather than a completed event.

Etymology-wise, cooperar derives from co- (together) and operar (to operate or work), with the sense of acting in concert. The word is common in both formal and informal Spanish, appearing in narratives, journalism, and everyday speech when describing collaborative efforts over a period of time.

Usage and examples: cooperaban is frequently used to describe groups or institutions engaging in sustained collaboration. For example, "Los vecinos cooperaban para limpiar el parque." or "Las agencias internacionales cooperaban para coordinar la ayuda." The imperfect can be accompanied by adverbs such as "a menudo," "mientras," or "durante años" to indicate duration or frequency.

Notes: Cooperaban is not a proper noun; it is a verb form. It is closely related to related terms such as cooperación (cooperation), cooperante (cooperator), and cooperador (cooperator or helper), which share the same semantic field of joint effort.