competien

In a sentence

• Ahir a la competició d'atletisme, els atletes competien intensament.

  Yesterday at the track and field competition, the athletes were competing intensely.

  In this sentence, the word 'competien' is used in the imperfect past tense to describe an ongoing action in the past where athletes were engaged in competition.

• Els dos equips competien per aconseguir el mateix contracte.

  The two teams were competing to obtain the same contract.

  Here, 'competien' again appears in the imperfect past tense to describe a situation of rivalry between the two teams extending over a period of time.

• Antigament, les ciutats de la regió competien per dominar el comerç.

  In ancient times, the cities of the region competed to dominate trade.

  In this sentence, the word 'competien' refers to a habitual or repeated action in the past by the cities competing with one another, as conveyed by the imperfect past tense.