il menait

was leading, was taking

→ mener
men to lead; to take (someone somewhere) + ait he/she/it imperfect
verb · third singular · imperfect indicative Rare #27,180
was leading, was taking Imperfect (past) form of « mener »; often used for ongoing actions in the past.
FR: Il menait le groupe vers la sortie.
EN: He was leading the group toward the exit.
Conjugation of mener
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
Third menait

Vous voulez savoir à quoi tout ça nous menait?

Do you want to know where all this was leading us?

— Insaisissables 2 (2016)

Je me voyais devant la grille qui menait à l'allée.

I saw myself in front of the gate leading to the driveway.

— Rebecca (1940)

La porte menait à une cave souterraine.

The door led to an underground cellar.

Elle menait une vie solitaire mais elle la vivait pleinement.

She led a solitary life, but she lived it to the fullest.

— Souvenirs de Marnie (2014)

Quel dommage, on menait.

What a shame, we were ahead.

— La vie est belle (1997)

Robert a compris que se tordre les mains ne le menait nulle part.

Robert realized that wringing his hands was getting him nowhere.

— Oppenheimer (2023)

Le chemin menait au village.

The path led to the village.

Il menait une vie de bohème.

He led a Bohemian lifestyle.

— Moscou ne croit pas aux larmes (1980)

On menait une vie normale.

We led a normal life.

— Une femme fantastique (2017)

Elle menait une vie tranquille à la campagne.

She led a quiet life in the countryside.

M. K menait une vie de fou.

Mr. K was leading a crazy life.

— Le Cercle des poètes disparus (1989)

Ca menait à quoi, cette petite conversation?

What was the point of this little conversation?