ils étaient
They were fighting on the street.
Ils se battaient dans la rue.
They looked like they were nervous.
Ils avaient l’air nerveux.
Well, I don't know if they were there.
Eh bien, je ne sais pas s’ils étaient là.
— La La Land (2016)
He watched after the children as they were swimming.
Il surveillait les enfants pendant qu’ils nageaient.
They were like two ships that pass in the night.
Ils étaient comme deux navires qui se croisent dans la nuit.
They were at a couple of bars that night.
Ils étaient dans quelques bars ce soir-là.
— Mystic River (2003)
They were wearing skulls, and their bodies were covered with leaves and blood.
Ils portaient des crânes et leurs corps étaient couverts de feuilles et de sang.
— Wrong Turn (2021)
Ils étaient allongés dans l’herbe.
In the high school where we teach, the teachers, they were disappearing.
Dans le lycée où nous enseignons, les professeurs disparaissaient.
— Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2026)
And if they were here and we were there, we'd do the same to them.
Et s’ils étaient ici et que nous étions là-bas, nous leur ferions la même chose.
— Poor Things (2023)
They were forcing me to drink wine from their mouths.
Ils me forçaient à boire du vin directement dans leur bouche.
— Farewell My Concubine (1993)
They were Dwarves, I tell you.
C’étaient des Nains, je te dis.
— The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
They were playing baseball in the park.
Ils jouaient au baseball dans le parc.
They were not taken from you by the Treaty of Versailles, were they?
Ils ne vous ont pas été enlevés par le traité de Versailles, n'est-ce pas ?
— Nuremberg (2025)
Teller's designs are still as impractical as they were during the war.
Les conceptions de Teller sont toujours aussi peu pratiques qu’elles l’étaient pendant la guerre.
— Oppenheimer (2023)
His methods for avoiding creditors were as inventive as they were elaborate.
Ses méthodes pour échapper à ses créanciers étaient aussi inventives qu'élaborées.
— The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019)
Leo, they were going to make you kiss a dog!
Léo, ils allaient te faire embrasser un chien !
— The Way He Looks (2014)
They were crazy for each other.
Ils étaient fous l’un de l’autre.
The farms were not nearly so well cared for here as they were farther back.
Les fermes étaient loin d’être aussi bien entretenues ici que plus loin à l’intérieur des terres.
Fortunately, they were able to escape.
Heureusement, ils ont pu s'échapper.
They were prepared to die for each other out there.
Ils étaient prêts à mourir les uns pour les autres, là-bas.
— Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
How would we know if they were good?
Comment saurions-nous s’ils étaient bons ?
— Catch Me If You Can (2002)
They were badly injured in a car accident.
Ils ont été grièvement blessés dans un accident de voiture.
I can't understand what they were thinking.
Je n’arrive pas à comprendre ce qu’ils avaient en tête.
I bought the shoes, but they were too small for me.
J’ai acheté les chaussures, mais elles étaient trop petites pour moi.
Ils dépensaient de l’argent.
People wrote articles, essays, reports; they were set in type.
Les gens écrivaient des articles, des essais, des rapports ; ceux-ci étaient composés en caractères d’imprimerie.
And, so far as they knew, they were quite right.
Et, pour autant qu’ils le sachent, ils avaient tout à fait raison.
When I got to Detroit, they were bankrupt.
Quand je suis arrivé à Détroit, ils étaient en faillite.
— Goalie (2019)
Race by race, they were growing further apart.
Race après race, les fossés se creusaient.
— Senna (2010)
They were looking for a fight.
Ils cherchaient la bagarre.
They were standing still with their eyes wide open.
Ils restaient immobiles, les yeux grands ouverts.
They were so frightened that they couldn't move an inch.
Ils étaient tellement effrayés qu’ils ne pouvaient pas bouger d’un pouce.
They were two of my best customers.
C'étaient deux de mes meilleurs clients.
— The Dead Don't Die (2019)
Everybody knew what they were getting into, dude.
Tout le monde savait à quoi s'attendre, mec.
— Now You See Me: Now You Don't (2025)
In ancient Ireland, they were called Filí.
Dans l'ancienne Irlande, on les appelait Filí.
— Sinners (2025)
I knew they were looking for me.
Je savais qu’ils me cherchaient.
Ils étaient dans un tiroir verrouillé.
— The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019)
Yeah, they were on the news today.
Oui, ils sont passés aux informations aujourd'hui.
— Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
They told me they were satisfied.
Ils m’ont dit qu’ils étaient satisfaits.
We don’t know where they were hired, who hired them, or anything.
On ne sait pas où ils ont été embauchés, qui les a embauchés, ni quoi que ce soit d’autre.
I didn't understand what they were saying.
Je n’ai pas compris ce qu’ils disaient.
They were traveling with a group of their friends.
Ils voyageaient avec un groupe d'amis.
— Wrong Turn (2021)
Who knows what they were going to do to me?
Qui sait ce qu'ils allaient me faire ?
— Wrong Turn (2021)
They were only smoke bombs, intended to..
Ce n’étaient que des fumigènes, destinés à…
— Rang De Basanti (2006)
They were hanging up the laundry.
Ils étendaient le linge.
They were as full as they were going to be in this breeze.
Ils étaient aussi pleins qu’ils allaient l’être dans cette brise.
They were listening to the lecture attentively.
Ils écoutaient attentivement le cours.
I knew who they were looking for.
Je savais qui ils recherchaient.
Everyone knew what they were supposed to be doing.
Tout le monde savait ce qu’il était censé faire.
I always thought that's what they were.
J’ai toujours pensé que c’était ce qu’ils étaient.
— The NeverEnding Story (1984)
She first met him when they were students.
Elle l’a rencontré pour la première fois lorsqu’ils étaient étudiants.
Ils exagéraient.
They were in agreement, he phoned me.
Ils étaient d’accord ; il m’a téléphoné.
— Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970)
They were Meghna and Meeta, friends of Amar.
C'étaient Meghna et Meeta, des amies d'Amar.
— Dil Se.. (1998)
They were severely injured in a car accident.
Ils ont été grièvement blessés dans un accident de voiture.
They were known as the Children of the Revolution.
Ils étaient connus sous le nom des Enfants de la Révolution.
— Moulin Rouge! (2001)
They were welcoming the guests.
Ils accueillaient les invités.
Prices are double what they were two years ago.
Les prix ont doublé par rapport à il y a deux ans.
They told who they were, and the girl soldier went into the Castle.
Ils dirent qui ils étaient, et la jeune soldate entra dans le château.
They were raped repeatedly for days.
Elles ont été violées à plusieurs reprises pendant plusieurs jours.
— Article 15 (2019)
They were constantly quarreling.
Ils se querellaient constamment.
When I was in the room with them, they were serious.
Quand j'étais dans la pièce avec eux, ils étaient sérieux.
— Burnt by the Sun (1994)
They were beautifully crunchy.
Ils étaient délicieusement croustillants.
They were enjoying themselves.
Ils s'amusaient bien.
They were gonna elope to Vegas.
Ils comptaient se marier en secret à Las Vegas.
— Mystic River (2003)
They were greatly pleased to see this delightful country before them.
Ils étaient ravis de découvrir ce merveilleux pays devant eux.
Still, they were so determined to destroy each other.
Pourtant, ils étaient tellement déterminés à se détruire mutuellement.
— Yojimbo (1961)
They were brave explorers, and they were killed in a landslide in South America.
C’étaient des explorateurs courageux, et ils ont été tués dans un glissement de terrain en Amérique du Sud.
— Poor Things (2023)
Well, for a long time, they were gonna shoot him.
Eh bien, pendant longtemps, ils allaient lui tirer dessus.
— Nuremberg (2025)
As they were crossing the street, a motorcycle hit Daniel.
Alors qu'ils traversaient la rue, une moto a percuté Daniel.
— Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
They were supposed to play something by Harry Belafonte.
Ils étaient censés jouer un morceau de Harry Belafonte.
— Toni Erdmann (2016)
I thought that they were wrong.
Je pensais qu’ils avaient tort.
Don't tell these bastards, but they were the best years of my life.
Ne dites pas à ces salauds, mais c’étaient les meilleures années de ma vie.
— The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)
They phoned to say they were on their way.
Ils ont téléphoné pour dire qu’ils étaient en route.
Ils approchaient.
They were accepted by the school.
Ils ont été acceptés par l’école.
I figured they were laying pipe.
J'ai supposé qu'ils posaient des canalisations.
— Suck Me Shakespeer (2013)
But they were all of them deceived.
Mais ils ont tous été trompés.
— The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
They were making a big fuss over it.
Ils en faisaient tout un plat.
— Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
Kat told me to record who they were.
Kat m’a dit de noter qui ils étaient.
When they were handing out brains, you arrived late.
Quand ils distribuaient les cerveaux, tu es arrivé en retard.
They were a warning to the British.
C'était un avertissement pour les Britanniques.
— The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002)
They were arrested along with their friends.
Ils ont été arrêtés avec leurs amis.
They were very polite, but there were larger issues.
Ils étaient très polis, mais il y avait des problèmes plus importants.
They should've eaten what they were served.
Ils auraient dû manger ce qu’on leur avait servi.
— Diabolique (1955)
They were to remove the plates today.
Ils devaient retirer les plaques aujourd'hui.
— Open Your Eyes (1997)
They were not listening to music.
Ils n’écoutaient pas de musique.
They were copies of paintings I'd seen somewhere before.
C’étaient des reproductions de tableaux que j’avais déjà vus quelque part.
— Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
They were at the airport to see him off.
Ils étaient à l’aéroport pour lui dire au revoir.
Ils ont été libérés.
They were separated three years ago.
Ils se sont séparés il y a trois ans.
— Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970)
They were prohibited from leaving the hotel.
Il leur était interdit de quitter l’hôtel.
It was a tribute, like in the old country, except they were doing it in America.
C'était un hommage, comme dans le vieux pays, sauf qu'ils le faisaient en Amérique.
— GoodFellas (1990)
They were living peacefully on their land!
Ils vivaient paisiblement sur leurs terres !
— Even the Rain (2011)
They were driving the entire day.
Ils ont conduit toute la journée.
They were symptoms of the earthquake.
C’étaient les signes avant-coureurs du tremblement de terre.