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ils appartenaient

belonged to

→ appartenir
apparten to belong (to) + aient they were ...ing (imperfect past)
verb · third plural · imperfect indicative Rare #39,800
belonged to
FR: Ces clés appartenaient à Marie.
EN: These keys belonged to Marie.
Conjugation of appartenir
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
Third appartenait appartenaient

Tiens, ils appartenaient à ma mère.

Here, these belonged to my mother.

— Night Watch (2004)

J'ignorais qu'elles vous appartenaient.

I didn't know they belonged to you.

— Le Hobbit : Un voyage inattendu (2012)

Ces pays appartenaient à la France.

These countries belonged to France.

Je parlais du Taj Mahal ou de Khajurâho comme s'ils m'appartenaient.

I spoke of the Taj Mahal or Khajuraho as though they belonged to me.

— Article 15 (2019)

Tu parles des gens comme s'ils t'appartenaient.

You talk about people as if they belong to you.