estaban

Estaban is the imperfect past tense form of the Spanish verb estar used with third-person plural subjects. It translates to “they were” or, in Latin American contexts, “you were” when referring to ustedes. In the imperfect, estar describes ongoing states, conditions, or habitual situations in the past, rather than completed actions.

Usage and meaning: Estaban describes what was happening or what conditions existed over a period in the past. It is commonly used to set scene, provide background information, or indicate a continuous situation. For example, Estaban cansados después de la caminata means they were tired after the walk, and Las calles estaban mojadas tras la lluvia means the streets were wet after the rain.

Grammatical notes: Estaban is part of the imperfect indicative mood. Other forms of the same verb in the imperfect include estaba, estabas, estábamos, estabais, and estaban, corresponding to different subjects. The imperfect contrasts with the preterite (actions viewed as completed) and the present tense (current states). Estar is irregular in the imperfect, but follows a consistent pattern across its subject forms.

Pronunciation and spelling: Estaban is written with a soft “t” followed by the syllable -ba- and the plural ending -n. It is always a verb form and not a noun or proper name.

Related topics: The present tense form is están, meaning “they are” or “you are.” The verb estar also appears in compound tenses with haber, and its various past tenses are used to convey different aspects of time and aspect in Spanish.