This is the 144th most frequent Catalan word.
havien
"Havien" is the Catalan imperfect tense form of "they had."
The word 'havien' here is used as an auxiliary verb in past perfect tense, indicating an action that was completed before another past action.
Havien anat a la biblioteca abans de començar la pluja.
They had gone to the library before the rain started.
In this context, 'havien' functions as part of the past perfect tense, showing an action finished before another event took place.
Els nens havien acabat els deures quan va sonar el telèfon.
The children had finished their homework when the phone rang.
This usage of 'havien' again demonstrates its role as an auxiliary verb for actions completed prior to another timeframe in the past.