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ils refusaient

were refusing, refused

→ refuser
refus refuse, decline + aient they were ...ing (imperfect past)
verb · third plural · imperfect indicative Rare #44,576
were refusing, refused imparfait tense; used for an ongoing or repeated refusal in the past.
FR: Ils refusaient toujours de répondre aux questions.
EN: They always refused to answer the questions.
Conjugation of refuser
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
Third refusait refusaient

Les portes refusaient de s'ouvrir et je dus donc monter par le coffre.

The doors refused to open, so I had to climb in through the trunk.

D'autres, refusaient qu'elles se battent.

Others refused to let them fight.

— Dangal (2016)

Certains refusaient d'affronter les filles.

Some refused to face the girls.

— Dangal (2016)

Mes parents refusaient de me laisser sortir avec qui je voulais.

My parents wouldn’t let me go out with whoever I wanted.