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¿Las niñas cantaban y bailaban en el patio?

¿Las niñas cantaban y bailaban en el patio?
Did the girls use to sing and dance in the yard?
From Lesson 108:The imperfect tense of regular -ar verbs·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about ¿Las niñas cantaban y bailaban en el patio?

Why do both verbs end in -aban?
Both cantar (to sing) and bailar (to dance) are regular -ar verbs. Because the subject is las niñas (they / ellas), we drop the -ar and add the imperfect ending -aban. This creates cantaban and bailaban.
Where is the Spanish word for "used to" in this sentence?
There isn't a separate word for it! In Spanish, the "used to" meaning is built directly into the verb ending. The imperfect -aban endings on cantaban and bailaban automatically show that these were ongoing or repeated habits in the past.
Could I say ¿Las niñas cantaron y bailaron...? instead?
You could, but it would change the meaning. Using the preterite forms (cantaron and bailaron) asks if they sang and danced on one specific, completed occasion (like "Did they sing and dance yesterday?"). The imperfect forms used here (cantaban, bailaban) ask about a habit over time.
Does patio mean the same thing in Spanish as it does in English?
It is very similar, but patio in Spanish is a bit broader. While it can mean a paved outdoor seating area, it is also the standard word for "yard," "courtyard," or even a school "playground" (patio de recreo).

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