eles haviam

there were

ɐ v i ɐ̃ w̃ → haver
hav have; exist + iam they imperfect
auxiliary · third plural · imperfect indicative Uncommon #14,020
there were Often used in impersonal expressions meaning “there was/there were,” especially in writing; in everyday speech many people use “tinha” instead.
PO: Haviam muitas pessoas na rua.
EN: There were many people in the street.
Conjugation of haver
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
First — havíamos
Third — haviam

Ele não parava de pensar nos dias maravilhosos que haviam passado juntos.

He couldn't stop thinking about the wonderful days they had spent together.

Eles haviam passado as últimas três noites dormindo no bosque.

They had spent the last three nights sleeping in the woods.

Os cientistas já haviam previsto esse cenário há anos.

Scientists had predicted this scenario years ago.

Eles não haviam planejado quebrar suas promessas.

They hadn't planned on breaking their promises.

Em um ano, seis dos nossos irmãos haviam morrido.

Within a year, six of our brothers had died.

— Conflitos Internos (2002)

Assim saberia se haviam chamado em minha ausência.

That way I would know if they had called in my absence.

— Pacto de Sangue (1944)

Os alemães haviam pego seu noivo.

The Germans had caught their fiancé.

— Roma, Cidade Aberta (1945)

Logo percebeu que lhe haviam roubado.

He soon realized he had been robbed.

Não haviam passado mais de duas horas.

No more than two hours had passed.

Tom não parecia surpreso quando soube que Mary e John haviam se casado.

Tom didn't seem surprised when he found out that Mary and John had gotten married.

Tom e Mary conversaram sobre onde eles haviam visitado.

Tom and Mary talked about where they had visited.

Haviam vencido na noite anterior.

They had won the previous night.

— Cães de Aluguel (1992)

Tom lembrava que Mary e John haviam tentado matar ele.

Tom remembered that Mary and John had tried to kill him.

O passeio de gôndola não foi tão romântico quanto Tom e Maria haviam esperado.

The gondola ride wasn’t as romantic as Tom and Maria had hoped.

Tom não conseguia acreditar que suas férias haviam terminado tão rapidamente.

Tom couldn't believe that his vacation had ended so quickly.

Tom se lembrou que Mary e John haviam tentado matá-lo.

Tom remembered that Mary and John had tried to kill him.

Querem dar uma surpresa e haviam pensado em você.

They want to give you a surprise and they had you in mind.

— Volver (2006)

Eles já haviam tentado aquela abordagem sem sucesso.

They had already tried that approach without success.

Vocês já haviam provado uma sopa assim tão boa?

Have you ever tasted soup this good?

Eles haviam construído estradas e pontes.

They had built roads and bridges.

Tom e Mary conversaram sobre onde haviam visitado.

Tom and Mary talked about the places they had visited.

Tom lembrava que Mary e John haviam tentado matá-lo.

Tom remembered that Mary and John had tried to kill him.

Quando ele se levantou, a jovem e a cabra já haviam desaparecido.

When he stood up, the young woman and the goat had already disappeared.

Todos haviam ido em grupos, menos eu.

Everyone had gone in groups, except me.

— Em Chamas (2018)

Eles disseram que haviam sido tolos.

They said they had been fools.

verb · third plural · imperfect indicative Rare #24,341
there were Imperfect past of "haver" used impersonally to mean "there were" (existence).
PO: Naquela época, haviam muitas pessoas na praça.
EN: At that time, there were many people in the square.
Conjugation of haver
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
First havia —
Third havia haviam

Haviam inúmeras estrelas no céu.

There were countless stars in the sky.

Não sabia que haviam bonecas pra sexo.

I didn't know there were sex dolls.

— A Garota Ideal (2007)

Não haviam medidas de segurança?

Weren’t there any safety measures?

— Oppenheimer (2023)

Haviam trinta pessoas presentes na reunião.

There were thirty people present at the meeting.

Haviam muitas outras.

There were many others.

Mas ele foi libertado, já que não haviam evidências suficientes.

But he was released, as there was not enough evidence.

— O Caçador (2008)

Haviam muitos outros.

There were many others.

Uma vez haviam duas pessoas Santa e Banta.

Once upon a time, there were two people, Santa and Banta.

— Queen (2014)

Haviam dois acidentes na estrada.

There were two accidents on the road.

— A Pele Que Habito (2011)

Não haviam testemunhas no Tribunal Militar.

There were no witnesses in the Military Court.

— Três Homens em Conflito (1966)

Sim, haviam pessoas por perto.

Yes, there were people nearby.

— Ladrões de Bicicleta (1948)

Haviam muitos?

Were there many?

— Ventos da Liberdade (2006)

Sounds similar to