Yap.Town

ils prenaient

were taking, were picking on, were attacking

→ prendre
pren to take + aient they imperfect tense
verb · 3rd-person plural, imperfect tense Rare #47,902
were taking In « prendre soin de », it means “to take care of.”
FR: Ils prenaient le bus pour aller au travail.
EN: They were taking the bus to go to work.
were picking on, were attacking In « s'en prendre à quelqu'un », it means to attack or blame someone.
FR: Ils s'en prenaient toujours à leur voisin.
EN: They were always picking on their neighbor.
Conjugation of prendre
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
First prenais —
Second prenais preniez
Third prenait prenaient

Soudain, les paroles de Lestat prenaient sens.

Suddenly, Lestat’s words made sense.

— Entretien avec un vampire (1994)

S'ils s'en prenaient à toi ?

What if they went after you?

— Le Conformiste (1971)

Les membres de la famille prenaient soin du patient à tour de rôle.

Family members took turns caring for the patient.

Il a caché le soldat dans la cave, et les femmes prenaient soin de lui.

He hid the soldier in the cellar, and the women took care of him.

— Sacrifices of War (2011)

Ils prenaient la bouffe des chiens, dans les camps.

They used to take the dogs’ food in the camps.

— Les Ailes du désir (1987)