ils parlaient

were talking, talked, were speaking, spoke

p a ʁ . l ɛ → parler
parl speak; talk + aient 3rd person plural imperfect
verb · 3rd-person plural, imperfect tense Uncommon #12,177
were talking, talked, were speaking, spoke The exact English tense depends on context.
FR: Ils parlaient de leur voyage.
EN: They were talking about their trip.
Conjugation of parler
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
First parlais parlions
Second parlais parliez
Third parlait parlaient

Mennad et Baya parlaient du lycée.

Mennad and Baya were talking about high school.

Les gens parlaient.

People were talking.

Je ne comprenais pas parce qu'ils parlaient à voix basse.

I couldn't understand because they were speaking quietly.

T'as pas pu les entendre s'ils parlaient calmement.

You couldn't have heard them if they were speaking quietly.

— Anatomie d'une chute (2023)

Elles parlaient de ma mère ?

Were they talking about my mother?

— Volver (2006)

Le miroir brisé, c'était sûrement le mort dont les gens parlaient.

The broken mirror was probably the dead person everyone was talking about.

— Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962)

Elles parlaient de toi.

They were talking about you.

De quoi parlaient-ils ?

What were they talking about?

Ils parlaient tous français.

They all spoke French.

Des gens parlaient.

People were talking.

Je ne savais pas que Tom et Mary parlaient français.

I didn't know that Tom and Mary spoke French.

T'imagines s'ils parlaient en anglais ?

Can you imagine if they spoke English?

— Même la pluie (2011)

Ils parlaient de minuit.

They were talking about midnight.

— Amarcord (1973)

Ils en parlaient à la télé.

They were talking about it on TV.

— Je suis toujours là (2024)

Au début, j'avais des difficultés à comprendre les gens qui parlaient trop vite.

At first, I had difficulty understanding people who spoke too fast.

C’est probablement la planque des démons dont parlaient Shinazugawa et Iguro.

This is probably the demon hideout that Shinazugawa and Iguro were talking about.

— Demon Slayer : Kimetsu no Yaiba - Le film : La Forteresse infinie (2025)

Incroyable, la façon dont ils se parlaient.

The way they talked to each other was incredible.

— Le Loup de Wall Street (2013)

Ils parlaient de toi.

They were talking about you.

Je n'ai pas compris grand-chose de ce dont elles parlaient.

I didn't understand much of what they were talking about.

Peut-être qu'ils se parlaient en douce ?

Maybe they were talking to each other in secret?

— Faute d'amour (2017)

Entendre comment les gens parlaient de lui.

To hear how people talked about him.

— L'Agent secret (2025)

Tom et Marie parlaient-ils en français ?

Did Tom and Marie speak French?

Sami et Layla se parlaient rarement.

Sami and Layla rarely spoke to each other.

Les adultes parlaient entre eux.

The adults were talking among themselves.

Les gens en parlaient.

People were talking about it.

— Senna (2010)

Ils lui parlaient d'une lumière.

They told him about a light.

Elles parlaient de vous.

They were talking about you.

Je me rendis compte que je savais bien de qui ils parlaient.

I realized I knew exactly who they were talking about.

Les deux garçons se parlaient beaucoup.

The two boys talked to each other a lot.

— Mysterious Object at Noon (2000)

Ils ne parlaient qu'entre eux.

They only talked among themselves.

— Mysterious Object at Noon (2000)

Les Romains parlaient latin.

The Romans spoke Latin.

Les preuves parlaient en sa faveur.

The evidence spoke in his favor.

Tom et Marie étaient assis sur les marches du bâtiment et parlaient.

Tom and Marie were sitting on the steps of the building and talking.

Marie se sentait seule parce que les autres élèves ne lui parlaient pas.

Marie felt lonely because the other students wouldn’t talk to her.

Mais s'ils ne parlaient pas comme des crétins ?

But what if they didn’t talk like idiots?

— Le Loup de Wall Street (2013)

Les filles parlaient dans son dos aussi !

The girls were talking behind his back too!

— Silent Voice (2016)

Ils parlaient en dialecte du Sud.

They spoke in a southern dialect.

Ils parlaient ensemble comme de vieux amis.

They talked together like old friends.

Quelle langue parlaient-ils ?

What language did they speak?

Sounds similar to