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ils appelaient

were calling, used to call

→ appeler
appel to call + aient imperfect tense, they
verb · third plural · imperfect indicative Rare #28,827
were calling, used to call Imperfect tense (ongoing/repeated action in the past); can also mean “were named” depending on context.
FR: Quand j'étais petit, ils m'appelaient tous les jours.
EN: When I was little, they used to call me every day.
Conjugation of appeler
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
First appelais appelions
Second appelais appeliez
Third appelait appelaient

Les gens l'appelaient par un intermédiaire.

People called him through an intermediary.

— Les Affranchis (1990)

Ils m'appelaient Ghetto Pat, Rocket Man, des trucs comme ça.

They used to call me Ghetto Pat, Rocket Man, things like that.

— Une bataille après l'autre (2025)

Comment s'appelaient-ils ?

What were their names?

Leurs filles aussi s'appelaient Marie.

Their daughters were also named Marie.

— Les Affranchis (1990)

Elles s'appelaient comment ?

What were their names?

Les élèves l'appelaient Virus, pour Virus informatique.

The students called him Virus, short for computer virus.

— 3 Idiots (2009)

Ils s'appelaient presque tous Peter ou Paul.

Almost all of them were named Peter or Paul.

— Les Affranchis (1990)

Est-ce que je peux savoir comment les deux enfants vous appelaient ?

May I know what the two children called you?

— Une Affaire de famille (2018)

Ils appelaient leur sœur.

They called their sister.

Je pense qu'ils l'appelaient Spartacus.

I think they called him Spartacus.

Les gens appelaient cela la religion.

People called it religion.

— PK (2014)