precisavam

Precizavam is a Portuguese verb form that corresponds to the imperfect indicative tense of the verb precisar. Specifically, precisavam means they needed or they were in need, and it can also be used with the pronoun vocês in regions where that form is common. It reflects a past, ongoing, or habitual state of needing something.

As a regular -ar verb, the imperfect forms of precisar follow a predictable pattern. In the third person plural, the form is precisavam: eles/elas precisavam (and vocês precisavam in conversational Brazilian Portuguese). The imperfect tense conveys actions or states that were not completed in the past or that occurred repeatedly over time.

Use of precisavam typically involves aComplement of need, most commonly with de + noun: precisavam de ajuda, precisavam de mais tempo, precisavam de recursos. It can also appear with the sense of needing to do something in the past, though more common constructions use an accompanying infinitive or context that indicates the action was necessary: precisavam terminar o relatório, precisavam planejar com antecedência. The form is generally negated with não: não precisavam de nada, não precisavam mais.

Related forms include precisarem (infinitive) and precisavam with other subjects: eu precisava, tu precisavas, ele precisava, nós precisávamos. The word is distinct from related nouns such as precisão (precision) and from other verbs that share a root but different meanings.

In summary, precisavam is the Portuguese imperfect plural form of precisar, used to express a past, ongoing, or habitual need by the subject they (or vocês) and is commonly followed by de + noun or by an accompanying context indicating what was needed.