il dormait

he was sleeping

→ il
phrase Rare #25,949
he was sleeping Used for an ongoing or habitual action in the past.
FR: Il dormait quand je suis arrivé.
EN: He was sleeping when I arrived.

Il dormait sous l'arbre.

He was sleeping under the tree.

Il dormait profondément.

He was sleeping soundly.

Avant, il dormait avec son fusil à ses côtés.

He used to sleep with his rifle by his side.

— Die My Love (2025)

Il dormait sur le dos.

He slept on his back.

Il dormait dans la rue en Californie.

He was sleeping on the street in California.

— Scream 7 (2026)

Il dormait toute la journée.

He slept all day.

— La Cité des hommes (2007)

Il dormait dans sa chambre.

He was sleeping in his room.

À minuit, il dormait.

At midnight, he was asleep.

— Des hommes d'honneur (1992)

Il dormait la fenêtre ouverte.

He slept with the window open.

Hier, quand je suis rentrée en pleine nuit, il dormait.

Yesterday, when I got home in the middle of the night, he was asleep.

— Trois couleurs : Bleu (1993)

On eût pu croire qu'il dormait.

You could have thought he was asleep.

Il dormait presque.

He was almost asleep.

La plupart du temps, il dormait là.

Most of the time, he slept there.

— Anatomie d'une chute (2023)

Il dormait.

He was sleeping.

— No (2012)