This is the 675th most frequent Portuguese word.
tinham
"Tinham" means "they had" or "you (plural) had" in Portuguese, referring to the past imperfect tense.
Here, 'tinham' is used as the third person plural imperfect form of 'ter' (to have in Portuguese), indicating possession in the past.
Elas tinham muitos amigos durante a infância.
They had many friends during childhood.
In this sentence, 'tinham' describes a characteristic of old cars in the past, also a common use of the verb in imperfect tense to describe habitual or descriptive aspects.
Os carros antigos tinham motores mais simples.
Old cars had simpler engines.
Here, 'tinham' is directed towards a group of people addressed as 'you,' emphasizing their possession of an idea in past.