общались

общались

"Were communicating" or "interacted."

The word 'общались' here denotes the act of communicating or socializing informally in a group setting.

Мы общались с новыми коллегами на вечеринке.

We interacted with new colleagues at the party.

In this sentence, 'общались' refers to the general act of maintaining personal communication or interaction over time.

Раньше мы общались больше, но теперь у нас меньше времени.

We used to communicate more, but now we have less time.

Here, 'общаться' implies initiating and engaging in communication or social interaction.

Я заметил, как дети быстро нашли общий язык и начали общаться друг с другом.

I noticed how the children quickly found common ground and started interacting with each other.