creaban

Creaban is the imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb crear, used with third-person plural subjects (ellos, ellas, ustedes). It translates roughly as “they were creating” or “they used to create.” The imperfect is formed by adding the endings -aban to the stem cre- of crear, yielding creaban. The full imperfect paradigm for this verb is: creaba, creabas, creaba, creábamos, creabais, creaban.

Usage and meaning

Creaban describes actions in the past that were ongoing, habitual, or not viewed as completed at a reference point in the past. It is commonly used to set scenes, provide background information in narratives, or indicate repeated past activities. Examples: “Cuando éramos niños, ellos creaban historias” and “Antes de la galería, los artistas creaban obras experimentales.” It is distinct from the preterite form crearon, which denotes a completed past action.

Etymology and grammar

Creer derives from Latin creare, and the Spanish verb follows regular -ar conjugation patterns. The form creaban is compatible with any subject pronoun in the third-person plural context, with pronouns often omitted in Spanish when the subject is clear from context.

Pronunciation

Creaban is typically pronounced with a hard r and a final -bán sound, roughly as cre-a-ban, with the final syllable stressed as appropriate for the sentence.

See also

Crear (the infinitive) and imperfect tense conjugation patterns for -ar verbs.