This is the 9209th most frequent Portuguese word.
cancelava
"Cancelava" means "was canceling" or "used to cancel" in English.
The word 'cancelava' in this case indicates an action frequently performed in past situations under certain conditions.
Quando estava em péssimas condições, ela cancelava o jogo.
When the conditions were poor, she would cancel the game.
The word 'cancelava' is used here in the imperfect tense to describe a habitual action in the past.
Ele sempre cancelava os seus compromissos quando chovia.
He always canceled his appointments when it rained.
Here, 'cancelava' indicates a contrast, showing a regularity of not performing the action in the past despite potential circumstances.