This is the 12750th most frequent Spanish word.
ocupaban
"Occupied" or "used" (past tense of "ocupar").
In this sentence, 'ocupaban' is used as the imperfect tense of the verb 'ocupar,' indicating an ongoing or habitual action in the past, meaning 'they occupied' or 'used' in a residential sense.
Ellos ocupaban el cuarto más grande de la casa.
They occupied the largest room in the house.
Here, 'ocupaban' again in the imperfect tense conveys that the action was done regularly or habitually in the past, implying 'they occupied' or 'utilized' a specific space for a purpose.
En su tiempo libre, ocupaban el espacio para practicar arte.
In their free time, they used the space to practice art.
In this context, 'ocupaban' reflects the use or application of tools during the action of working on a project, signifying 'they used' in a functional sense, as part of a process or activity.