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estaban discutiendo

they were arguing

→ estar
phrase Uncommon #24,885
they were arguing Can also mean “they were discussing,” depending on context. The imperfect form describes an ongoing action in the past.
SP: Estaban discutiendo sobre dónde ir a cenar.
EN: They were arguing about where to go for dinner.

¿Sobre qué estaban discutiendo?

What were they arguing about?

Para no perder la costumbre estaban discutiendo otra vez.

True to form, they were arguing again.

— Roma città aperta (1945)

Estaban discutiendo sobre política y la cosa se puso tensa.

They were arguing about politics and things got tense.

Estaban discutiendo.

They were arguing.

— Mi pobre angelito (1990)

Ellos estaban discutiendo por dinero.

They were arguing about money.