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ils restaient

stayed, remained, were left

ʁ ɛ s . t ɛ → rester
rest to stay + aient they imperfect tense
verb · 3rd-person plural, imperfect tense Rare #36,212
stayed, remained, were left The meaning depends on context: people or things can remain somewhere, or things can be left over.
FR: Ils restaient à la maison le dimanche.
EN: They stayed at home on Sundays.
Conjugation of rester
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
First restais —
Second restais —
Third restait restaient

De grands maîtres qui restaient dans l'ombre.

Great masters who remained in the shadows.

— The Grandmaster (2013)

Ils restaient là avec les yeux grand ouvert.

They stood there with their eyes wide open.

Restaient femmes et enfants.

Women and children remained.

— The Salt of the Earth (2014)

Ils se cachaient, ils restaient dans leur coin.

They were hiding; they kept to themselves.

— Les Quatre Cents Coups (1959)

Les nageurs les plus malins restaient autant que possible sous l’eau.

The cleverest swimmers stayed underwater as much as possible.

Deux chaises restaient libres.

Two chairs remained free.

J'ai acheté tout ça avec les sous qui restaient.

I bought all this with the money I had left.

— Central do Brasil (1998)

Ceux qui étaient mariés restaient jamais jusqu'au matin.

Those who were married never stayed until morning.

— Les Invasions barbares (2003)

Ceux qui restaient ont été tués à la machette.

Those who remained were killed with machetes.

— The Salt of the Earth (2014)

Sounds similar to

rester ʁ ɛ s . t e restez ʁ ɛ s . t e respect ʁ ɛ s . p ɛ restons ʁ ɛ s . t ɔ̃ resté ʁ ɛ s . t e resto ʁ ɛ s . t o restau ʁ ɛ s . t o