This is the 4619th most frequent Catalan word.
portaven
"Portaven" means "they carried" or "they were carrying" in English.
The verb 'portaven' is used here in the past continuous tense (imperfect) to describe an ongoing action in the past—wearing clothes.
Ells portaven roba d'hivern perquè feia fred.
They were wearing winter clothes because it was cold.
In this sentence, 'portaven' denotes the action of carrying items in their hands or by other means in the past.
Portaven les caixes a la furgoneta abans de marxar.
They carried the boxes to the van before leaving.
Here, 'portaven' conveys bringing or contributing intangible items, such as ideas, in a past context.