Introduction
decidían is a Spanish verb form that learners often meet in stories, conversations, and descriptions of past routines. It comes from decidir, which means to decide, choose, or make a decision. The ending -ían tells you that the subject is plural and that the action is viewed in the past. Depending on the sentence, the word can mean they decided, they used to decide, or they were deciding.
Understanding this form helps you talk about choices that happened repeatedly, decisions that were in progress, and background information about the past. It also helps you recognize how Spanish uses the imperfect tense, a tense that does not always match a single English tense. In this guide, you will learn the basic meaning, see natural examples, compare related words, and practice the pronunciation. By the end, you should be able to understand this form in context and use it to describe past decisions clearly.
Meaning and Definition
Decidían is the imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb decidir. It refers to a plural subject: ellos or ellas, meaning they, or ustedes, meaning you all. Its basic meaning is they decided or you all decided, but the imperfect tense gives it a continuing, repeated, or background quality.
In English, the most suitable translation depends on the sentence. If a family regularly chose a restaurant, decidían may mean they used to decide. If a group was discussing an option at a particular moment, it may mean they were deciding. If the focus is simply on a past choice, they decided can also work. The surrounding words and the wider conversation help clarify which meaning is intended.
The imperfect does not usually present an action as one finished event with a clear beginning and end. Instead, it can describe a habit, a situation in progress, or information that sets the scene. For example, a sentence about how classmates made plans every Friday describes a repeated custom. A sentence about what they were choosing while looking at a menu describes an action in progress.
The word is built from the infinitive decidir and the imperfect ending used for verbs ending in -ir. The stem is decid-, and -ían marks the third-person plural imperfect form. The verb ultimately comes from Latin decidere, a word connected with settling or determining something. For a learner, the most useful point is the modern Spanish pattern: remove -ir and add the imperfect ending.
Compare decidían with decidieron. Both can refer to choices made by a plural subject in the past, but they frame the past differently. Decidieron is generally used for a completed event, such as a group making one choice yesterday. The imperfect form is more likely when the choice was habitual, ongoing, or part of the background. The distinction is not always captured by one English translation, so look at what the speaker wants to emphasize.
Usage and Example Sentences
The following examples show common ways to use decidían. Notice that the subject may be stated directly, as in mis amigos, or understood from the verb and the rest of the conversation. The English translations are natural equivalents rather than word-for-word copies.
Spanish: Mis amigos decidían dónde almorzar después de clase.
English: My friends used to decide where to have lunch after class.
Spanish: Los estudiantes decidían el tema de su proyecto en grupo.
English: The students were deciding on their project topic as a group.
Spanish: Cada verano, mis primos decidían qué juegos llevar al parque.
English: Every summer, my cousins would decide which games to take to the park.
Spanish: Ustedes decidían el horario según las actividades de la semana.
English: You all used to decide on the schedule according to the week’s activities.
Spanish: Mientras miraban el mapa, ellos decidían qué camino tomar.
English: While they were looking at the map, they were deciding which route to take.
Spanish: Mis compañeras decidían juntas el color de las invitaciones.
English: My classmates used to choose the color of the invitations together.
Spanish: En aquella época, los vecinos decidían las actividades para la feria local.
English: At that time, the neighbors would decide on the activities for the local fair.
Spanish: Los niños decidían qué libro leer antes de dormir.
English: The children used to choose which book to read before bed.
These examples include several clues that often appear with the imperfect. Expressions such as cada verano, meaning every summer, suggest a repeated action. Words such as mientras, meaning while, can show that a decision was in progress as another action happened. Phrases such as en aquella época, meaning at that time, provide background about a period in the past.
With an object or a question word, the verb can describe what someone was choosing. Spanish commonly uses decidir qué for decide what, decidir dónde for decide where, and decidir si for decide whether. The word after decidir tells you what choice is being considered. A sentence can also use decidirse por when someone settles on a particular option, although the pronoun and preposition need to match the subject and sentence.
Synonyms, Antonyms, and Word Usage Differences
A close synonym is elegían, the imperfect form of elegir, meaning they used to choose or they were choosing. The two verbs overlap, especially when someone selects one option from several. Elegir focuses clearly on selecting an option, while decidir can emphasize making up one’s mind or reaching a decision. For example, a person may decide to take a class and then choose a particular class time.
Another related verb is resolvían, from resolver. It can mean they solved or resolved something, and it is useful when a decision involves finding an answer to a problem. It is not a general replacement for decidían. If people are selecting a weekend activity, decidían or elegían is usually more natural. If they are working out how to fix a scheduling problem, resolvían may fit better.
Optaban por is another possible alternative. It means they opted for or chose a particular option. This expression highlights the option selected, and it normally takes por before that option. Tomaban una decisión, meaning they made a decision, is a broader phrase that focuses on the act of making a decision. These alternatives can help you avoid repetition, but their grammar and emphasis are not identical.
The most important tense contrast is between decidían and decidieron. Use the imperfect form when describing a repeated habit, an ongoing process, or background circumstances. Use decidieron, the preterite form, when presenting a completed decision as a specific past event. For example, decidían el menú cada semana describes a routine, while decidieron el menú el lunes presents one completed choice on Monday.
The opposite idea depends on what the sentence means. Dudaban, from dudar, means they were unsure or hesitating, so it can contrast with making a decision. Posponían la decisión means they were postponing the decision. Neither is a direct antonym in every sentence: someone can hesitate before deciding, and postponing a decision is not the same as choosing the opposite option. Choose the word that describes the action you actually mean.
When selecting among these verbs, ask what part of the situation matters most. If the focus is the act of reaching a conclusion, use a form of decidir. If the focus is selecting from a set of choices, elegir may be more precise. If a problem is being solved, consider resolver. Then choose the tense that matches whether the action was habitual, ongoing, or completed.
Pronunciation and Accent
The pronunciation of decidían can be represented in IPA as /de.siˈði.an/ in much of Spain and /de.siˈði.an/ in many varieties of Latin American Spanish. The exact sound of the letter d may vary slightly by speaker and position. In this word, the d between vowels is often softer than the English d, with the tongue approaching the upper teeth. Spanish speakers generally pronounce each written vowel clearly.
Break the word into syllables like this: de-ci-dí-an. The strongest stress falls on dí, the third syllable. The written accent mark over the í is important because it shows that this vowel receives the stress and remains separate from the following a. The ending is therefore pronounced as two vowel sounds, approximately ee-ah, rather than as one blended syllable.
The accent mark also distinguishes this form from similar-looking words. Decidian without an accent is not the standard spelling of this imperfect form. In Spanish, written accents often show where stress falls or distinguish forms that might otherwise be read differently. When writing decidían, include the accent on the í; leaving it out is a spelling error and can make the word harder to recognize.
A common pronunciation mistake is to stress the first syllable or to pronounce the ending as if it were a single syllable. Practice it slowly as de-ci-DÍ-an, then say it at a natural speed. Keep the final n clear but light. You do not need to exaggerate the accent mark or add an extra pause; it simply guides the stress and vowel separation.
Native Speaker Nuance and Usage Context
In everyday Spanish, decidían often appears when someone describes a former routine. A speaker might explain how a group planned meals, chose a meeting place, or organized an activity in the past. The verb helps the listener understand that this was something the group regularly did, rather than one isolated choice. In English, the same idea may be expressed with used to or would.
It also works naturally for a decision that was happening in the middle of another scene. A speaker may describe people looking at options, discussing a schedule, or considering what to do. The imperfect keeps the action open in the background. The sentence does not necessarily say whether the group eventually reached a decision; it simply describes what was going on at that point.
Context is especially important because Spanish does not need to state the subject every time. The ending -ían indicates a plural subject, while a noun or pronoun elsewhere in the sentence identifies who the speaker means. If the subject is clear from an earlier sentence, a speaker may leave it unstated. When learning, pay attention to the nearby nouns and the conversation rather than expecting a pronoun before every verb.
The form is appropriate in both casual and formal Spanish. The verb itself is neutral: it does not sound unusually formal, old-fashioned, or literary. A conversation among friends and a written account of a past routine can both use it. What changes with formality is usually the surrounding vocabulary and the level of detail, not this verb form.
Remember that ustedes uses the same verb form as ellos and ellas. In much of Latin America, ustedes is the usual plural you, whether the situation is casual or polite. In most of Spain, speakers commonly use vosotros for informal plural you, and its imperfect form is decidíais. This regional difference matters when you are speaking directly to a group, but the meaning of decidían remains clear when the subject is they or Latin American you all.
Native speakers also rely on time expressions and the broader story to make the tense clear. A phrase such as todos los días, every day, points toward a repeated habit, while a phrase such as en ese momento, at that moment, can support an ongoing reading. These phrases are helpful clues, but they do not mechanically determine the tense. The speaker’s focus on routine, process, or completed event is what matters most.
When speaking, you can make your meaning clearer by adding a subject or a time phrase if the context is not obvious. For example, naming the group or saying that something happened every week helps the listener recognize a habitual action. As you read Spanish, notice whether a form describes the main event or provides background. That habit will make the imperfect easier to understand beyond this one verb.
Conclusion
Decidían is the imperfect form of decidir for a plural subject. It can mean they used to decide, they were deciding, or, in some contexts, they decided. The imperfect is especially useful for describing past habits, actions in progress, and background details. To choose the right English translation, look at the time expressions and the role of the action in the sentence.
Remember the contrast with decidieron: the imperfect often presents a repeated or ongoing action, while the preterite commonly presents a completed past event. Related verbs such as elegir and resolver may be useful, but each has its own emphasis. For pronunciation, stress the third syllable, dí, keep the written accent, and pronounce the ending as two vowel sounds. Practicing these patterns with simple examples will help you recognize and use this form naturally. It is a practical word for describing how people made choices and organized everyday activities in the past.
