were talking, spoke
Eles disseram-me que não falavam francês.
They told me they didn’t speak French.
As meninas falavam dos meninos.
The girls were talking about the boys.
Todos falavam da guerra como algo iminente.
Everyone spoke of the war as something imminent.
— Meu Amigo Ivan Lapshin (1985)
Antes, todos os homens falavam a mesma língua.
Before, all men spoke the same language.
Passou mais um tempinho, separou-se completamente, eles não se falavam mais.
A little more time passed, they separated completely, and they no longer spoke to each other.
— Senna (2010)
As meninas falavam de meninos.
The girls were talking about boys.