This is the 5464th most frequent Spanish word.
operaba
"Operaba" means "was operating" or "used to operate."
The word 'operaba' refers to the action of performing surgery, shown in a past continuous tense.
El cirujano operaba a los pacientes con mucha precisión.
The surgeon was operating on the patients with great precision.
The term 'operaba' describes the company's operational activities in the past.
Antes, esa empresa operaba en varios países del mundo.
Previously, that company operated in various countries around the world.
Here, 'operaba' is used to illustrate performing tasks covertly in a past continual manner.