tropeçavam

Tropeçavam is a Portuguese word that translates to "they stumbled" or "they used to stumble" in English. It is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the verb tropeçar, which means to stumble, trip, or falter. The imperfect tense in Portuguese is used to describe ongoing, habitual, or incomplete actions in the past, as well as to set a scene or describe conditions.

Therefore, "tropeçavam" suggests a repeated or continuous action of stumbling in the past. For instance, one might say "As crianças tropeçavam na rua de terra" which means "The children used to stumble on the dirt road." This implies a common occurrence or a past state of affairs where stumbling was frequent for those children on that particular road. It can also be used metaphorically to describe making mistakes or encountering difficulties repeatedly. The context in which "tropeçavam" is used would determine whether it refers to a literal physical stumble or a figurative setback.