narrabantur

narrabantur is a Latin verb form. It is the imperfect passive indicative of narro, narrare, meaning “to tell.” In translation it most often means “they were being told” or “they were told,” depending on context. This form is third-person plural.

Morphologically, narrabantur is formed from the verb stem narr- with the imperfect passive ending -bantur. The imperfect passive endings in Latin indicate ongoing or customary action in the past; for comparison, the corresponding active form is narrabant (they were telling). The present passive would be narrantur, and the perfect passive would use a participle with sum, as in narrati sunt.

Usage and nuance, narrrabantur commonly appears in Latin narratives to describe past events in which something was being told over a period or as part of a larger past scene. The agent of the telling is often omitted or expressed with a by-phrase (ab or a + ablative).

Example: Fabulae narrabantur a iuvenibus. Translation: The tales were being told by the youths. This demonstrates how narrabantur places the action in the past and in a passive voice, focusing on the reception of the telling rather than the teller.

In summary, narrabantur is the imperfect passive form of narro, used to convey ongoing or repeated past telling, typically translated as “they were being told” or “they were told,” depending on context.