spiegavano

Spiegavano is the imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb spiegare, meaning to explain or account for. This form corresponds to the third-person plural “they explained” or “they were explaining” and is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as well as background information in narratives.

Originating from the Latin explicare, which means to unfold or reveal, spiegare entered Italian with this sense of making something clear. The imperfect ending -avano is added to the stem spieg- to yield spiegavano.

Usage: The form is used with the subject loro (they) or with an understood plural subject. It can indicate habitual past actions (Quando eravamo bambini, i catechisti spiegavano sempre le regole) or progressive past actions (Durante la lezione, spiegavano come funzionava il meccanismo). It commonly co-occurs with direct objects: spiegare qualcosa a qualcuno (explain something to someone).

Examples: “I professori spiegavano la teoria agli studenti.” “I loro racconti spiegavano come avveniva l’operazione.”

Comparison: The passato prossimo spiegato describes a completed past action; the imperfetto spiegavano stresses duration or repetition. Related synonyms include chiarire, illustrare, descrivere in modo esplicativo.

Note on form: the root is spieg- plus the usual imperfect ending -avano, with no accent marks in the standard spelling. This form is a common feature in Italian narrative to set the scene or describe how explanations unfolded over time.

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