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ils commençaient

were starting, began

→ commencer
commenç begin; start + aient they were ...ing (imperfect past)
verb · third plural · imperfect indicative Rare #43,215
were starting, began Imperfect tense (3rd person plural): describes an ongoing, habitual, or background action in the past.
FR: Ils commençaient à comprendre la leçon.
EN: They were starting to understand the lesson.
Conjugation of commencer
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
Third commençait commençaient

Ils commençaient à perdre foi en leur commandant.

They were beginning to lose faith in their commander.

Ils commençaient à débarrasser.

They were starting to clear up.

— Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Les premières pêches commençaient déjà à tomber.

The first peaches were already beginning to fall.

Les étoiles commençaient à apparaître.

The stars were beginning to appear.