No. 398 in Spanish
estaban
"Estaban" means "they were" or "you (plural) were" in English.
In a sentence
Ellos estaban felices ayer cuando recibieron la noticia.
They were happy yesterday when they received the news.
The word 'estaban' here is used as an imperfect tense verb indicating a past continuous state of being happy.
Los libros estaban sobre la mesa antes de que los moviera.
The books were on the table before I moved them.
In this context, 'estaban' indicates a past placement or location of the subject (the books).
Mientras las luces estaban apagadas, aprovechamos para descansar.
While the lights were off, we took the chance to rest.
Here, 'estaban' describes a past continuous condition of the lights being off.
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