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ellos temían

were afraid (of), feared

t e ˈm i a n → temer
tem fear + ían 3rd person plural imperfect (indicative or subjunctive)
verb · third plural · imperfect indicative Rare #48,601
were afraid (of), feared Imperfect tense (they/you all).
SP: Temían que el perro los mordiera.
EN: They were afraid the dog would bite them.
Conjugation of temer
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
First temía temíamos
Third temía temían
Subjunctive imperfect
SingularPlural
First temía temíamos
Third temía temían

Temían que pudieran ser deportados.

They feared they might be deported.

Ellos te temían.

They feared you.

Muchos temían el comienzo de otra guerra civil.

Many feared the start of another civil war.

Sounds similar to

tenían t e ˈn i a n