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ils marchaient

were walking, walked

→ marcher
march walk + aient 3rd-person plural imperfect
verb · 3rd-person plural, imperfect tense Rare #39,529
were walking, walked For an ongoing or repeated action in the past, English usually uses “were walking”; for a completed journey or general past habit, “walked” may fit.
FR: Ils marchaient dans le parc.
EN: They were walking in the park.
Conjugation of marcher
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
Third marchait marchaient

Les heures ne marchaient pas pour ce pauvre garçon.

Time was working against that poor boy.

Les gens marchaient dans le vaste jardin.

People were walking in the vast garden.

Autrefois, les gens marchaient de Edo jusqu'à Kyoto.

In the past, people walked from Edo to Kyoto.

Des fois, même les gens qui marchaient droit se faisaient repasser.

Sometimes, even people who walked straight got passed over.

— Les Affranchis (1990)

Les affaires marchaient bien ?

Were things going well?

Ils marchaient deux cents mètres devant.

They walked two hundred meters ahead.

Vous avez vu qu'au début, ils marchaient à leur rythme.

You saw that at first, they were walking at their own pace.

— Le Cercle des poètes disparus (1989)

Ils marchaient vite et je traînais derrière.

They were walking fast and I was lagging behind.