erano venuti

they had come

→ essere

phrase Rare #42,228

they had come The trapassato prossimo of venire for “they”; depending on context, it can also mean “they had arrived” or “they had come to do something.”

IT: Erano venuti a cercarti.

EN: They had come to look for you.

Erano venuti a cercarti.

They had come looking for you.

— L'infanzia di Ivan (1962)

Tutti erano venuti in gruppo tranne me.

Everyone had come in a group except me.

— Burning - L'amore brucia (2018)

Mi ha chiesto di fare da padre a un bambino i cui genitori non erano venuti.

He asked me to be a father to a child whose parents hadn't come.

— Rental Family - Nelle vite degli altri (2025)

Erano venuti a cercarmi, non mi hanno trovato e hanno ucciso lui.

They had come looking for me, but they didn’t find me and killed him instead.

— Il segreto dei suoi occhi (2009)