Yap.Town

ils volaient

were flying, flew, were stealing, stole

→ voler
vol to steal + aient they imperfect tense
verb · 3rd-person plural, imperfect tense Rare #41,291
were flying, flew This is the imperfect form of “voler” meaning “to fly.”
FR: Les oiseaux volaient au-dessus du lac.
EN: The birds were flying over the lake.
were stealing, stole This is the imperfect form of “voler” meaning “to steal.”
FR: Ils volaient des pommes dans le jardin.
EN: They were stealing apples from the garden.
Conjugation of voler
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
First volais —
Second volais —
Third volait volaient

Les oiseaux volaient en formation.

The birds flew in formation.

Ils volaient !

They were flying!

— The Salt of the Earth (2014)

Ce jour-là, des drapeaux japonais volaient au vent.

That day, Japanese flags were flying in the wind.

Les mouettes volaient sur la mer.

The seagulls were flying over the sea.

Ils faisaient le poirier, volaient sur le dos et faisaient du vélo.

They did handstands, flew on their backs and rode bicycles.

— Apocalypse Now (1979)

Et si les garçons volaient l'argent ?

What if the boys stole the money?

— Masaan (2015)