заняли

took, occupied, borrowed

z a nʲ ɪ lʲ ɪ → занять
за begin, complete, or move into/behind + ня take + ли past plural
verb · plural · past indicative Uncommon #23,920
took, occupied Often used about taking a place/seat or taking up space/time.
RU: Мы заняли два места в первом ряду.
EN: We took two seats in the front row.
borrowed Often used about borrowing money (taking a loan).
RU: Они заняли деньги у друзей.
EN: They borrowed money from friends.
Conjugation of занять
Indicative past

Машины заняли место велосипедов.

Cars have taken the place of bicycles.

Солдаты заняли здание.

The soldiers occupied the building.

Заняли дом, который уже давно..

They occupied the house, which had long since…

— Делай как надо (1989)

Они заняли свои места за столом.

They took their places at the table.

Орки заняли восточный берег.

The orcs occupied the eastern shore.

— Властелин колец: Две крепости (2002)

После того как японцы заняли Гонконг, уехать стало очень трудно.

After the Japanese occupied Hong Kong, it became very difficult to leave.

— Вожделение (2007)

Мы тебе место заняли.

We saved a seat for you.

Бабушки заняли все лавки во дворе.

The grandmothers took over all the benches in the yard.

Sounds similar to