épousaient

Épousaient is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the verb épouser in French. It indicates an action that was ongoing or habitual in the past and is commonly found in narrative or descriptive passages dealing with relationships or historical unions.

Conjugation of the imperfect for épouser: j’épousais, tu épousais, il/elle épousait, nous épousions, vous épousiez, ils/elles épousaient. Therefore épousaient is the form used for “they were marrying” or “they used to marry.”

Étymologie et usages: épouser comes from Old French espouser, related to the English espouse. The root traces to Latin sponsus, meaning the betrothed or pledged. In modern French, épouser retains the literal sense of marrying a spouse and can also appear in figurative phrases such as espouser une idée (to embrace or adopt an idea). Example: Ils épousaient une coutume ancienne that tied families through a traditional ceremony.