percibían

Percibían is a Spanish verb, specifically the imperfect indicative third-person plural form of the verb percibir. Percibir generally translates to "to perceive," "to sense," "to notice," or "to detect." The imperfect tense in Spanish is used to describe ongoing actions, habitual actions, or states of being in the past. Therefore, "percibían" describes an action of perceiving, sensing, noticing, or detecting that was happening repeatedly, continuously, or as a background state in the past, performed by multiple people or entities (they).

For example, one might say "Los antiguos griegos percibían la luz de las estrellas de manera diferente" (The ancient Greeks perceived starlight differently), indicating a past, ongoing perception. Another usage could be "Los niños percibían la alegría en el aire" (The children sensed the joy in the air), describing a general atmosphere they were aware of. The verb can apply to sensory perception (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) as well as more abstract forms of awareness or understanding. The specific nuance of "percibían" depends heavily on the context in which it is used.