masticaban
Masticaban is the imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb masticar in the third-person plural. It translates to "they chewed" or "they were chewing," and is used to describe habitual or ongoing actions in the past.
Masticar is a regular -ar verb. In the imperfect tense, the endings are -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos,
- The imperfect with masticaban conveys repeated or customary chewing in the past, rather than a single
- It can set the scene in a narrative, especially alongside other imperfect verbs describing background actions.
- The subject pronouns often are omitted in Spanish, since the verb form already specifies the subject.
- Durante la clase, los niños masticaban chicle para mantenerse despiertos.
- Ellos masticaban lentamente, recordando las recetas de la abuela, mientras conversaban.
The verb masticar derives from Romance-language roots related to the act of chewing, and masticaban is