This is the 11524th most frequent Portuguese word.
ouviam
"Heard" or "were listening" (third person plural imperfect tense of "ouvir").
The word 'ouviam' here indicates the action of attentive listening in the past tense involving the students.
Os alunos ouviam atentamente a explicação do professor.
The students listened attentively to the teacher's explanation.
In this example, 'ouviam' represents a habitual action in the past, specifically the act of listening to classical music.
Naquele tempo, as pessoas ouviam música clássica no rádio.
Back then, people used to listen to classical music on the radio.
The word 'ouviam' in this sentence describes the action of hearing the sounds of nature during their walk, contextualized in past events.