discutían

Discutían is the third-person plural preterite indicative form of the Spanish verb discutir, which means "to discuss" or "to argue." This verb is part of the -ir conjugation group, which is characterized by verbs ending in -ir. The preterite tense in Spanish is used to describe actions that were completed in the past. The verb discutir is commonly used in both formal and informal contexts to indicate that a group of people engaged in a conversation or debate.

The conjugation of discutir in the preterite tense for the third-person plural is as follows: discutieron. This form is used to indicate that a group of people discussed or argued about something at a specific time in the past. For example, "Ellos discutieron sobre el proyecto durante horas" translates to "They discussed the project for hours."

The verb discutir is derived from the Latin verb discutere, which means "to divide" or "to separate." Over time, the meaning of the verb evolved to encompass the idea of separating ideas or opinions, leading to its current usage in Spanish.