jugaban

Jugaban is a verb form in Spanish, specifically the imperfect indicative of the verb jugar, meaning "to play." It is used with third-person plural subjects: ellos, ellas, or ustedes. The imperfect endings for -ar verbs are -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban, and jugar follows this pattern in the corresponding forms: yo jugaba, tú jugabas, él/ella/usted jugaba, nosotros/nosotras jugábamos, vosotros/vosotras jugabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes jugaban. There is no stem change in the imperfect for jugar; this tense is regular in its endings.

The form jugaban can express habitual or ongoing past actions, or provide background in narratives, rather than signaling a completed past event. It is commonly used to describe routines ("Ellos jugaban al fútbol todos los sábados") or to set a scene in the past ("Cuando eran niños, jugaban en el parque"). It can appear in dependent clauses as well, often contrasting with a subsequent moment marked by another tense.

Usage notes: jugaban, like other imperfect forms, does not itself indicate the start or end of an action. If a speaker wants to emphasize a completed action in the past, they would typically use the preterite form (por ejemplo, "jugó" or "jugaron"). In many dialects, the choice between imperfect and preterite can influence the perceived aspect of the narrative.

In English, jugaban is commonly rendered as "they were playing" or "they used to play," depending on context.