umierały

In a sentence

• Ptaki umierały z głodu w surową zimę.

  The birds were dying of hunger during the harsh winter.

  The word "umierały" is used here as a past habitual action, describing the birds' regular occurrence of dying during the winter conditions.

• Niektóre opowieści umierały wraz z wiekiem dziadków.

  Some stories died along with the grandparents' age.

  In this sentence, "umierały" is used metaphorically to describe the disappearance or loss of something concurrent with another event.

• Kwiaty umierały powoli bez wody.

  The flowers were slowly dying without water.

  Here, "umierały" literal and depicts an ongoing past process of wilting or dying due to lack of water.