pedían

Pedían is a Spanish verb form. It is the imperfect indicative third-person plural of the verb pedir. The verb pedir has several common meanings in English, including "to ask for," "to request," and "to order." Therefore, "pedían" translates to "they were asking for," "they were requesting," or "they were ordering," depending on the context.

For example, in the sentence "Los clientes pedían la cuenta" (The customers were asking for the bill), "pedían" indicates an ongoing or habitual action in the past. Similarly, "Ellos pedían ayuda" (They were asking for help) uses "pedían" to describe a past, repeated, or ongoing request. When ordering food, "Los comensales pedían vino" (The diners were ordering wine) also employs "pedían" to denote past action. The imperfect tense in Spanish, as exemplified by "pedían," is used to describe actions that were happening, were habitual, or set the scene in the past, rather than completed events. Understanding the nuances of the imperfect tense is crucial for accurately interpreting the meaning of "pedían" in different Spanish sentences.