Réunirent

Réunirent is the third-person plural form of the French verb réunir in the passé simple (past historic). Réunir itself means to bring together, to assemble, or to reunite, depending on context. The passé simple is a literary tense used mainly in written narratives, chronicles, and historical accounts to describe actions completed in the past. In everyday spoken French, the same meaning is typically conveyed with the passé composé: ils ont réuni, or with the reflexive form for meetings, ils se sont réunis.

Etymology and meaning: the verb réunir comes from the prefix re- plus unir (to unite), with etymological roots in the Latin reunire (to unite again). The form réunirent reflects standard conjugation patterns of regular -ir verbs in the passé simple, adapted to the lexical meaning of réunir.

Usage notes: réunirent is transitive, taking a direct object that is something to be brought together, such as des documents, des personnes, ou des preuves (Ils réunirent les preuves). In its pronominal sense, se réunirent means they met or convened as a group (Ils se réunirent pour discuter). The passé simple is not used to describe ongoing or repeated past actions; it signals a definite event in a historical or literary narrative.

Example sentences: Ils réunirent les témoins pour établir la chronologie. Certains historiens utilisent réunirent pour décrire comment les provinces réunirent leurs forces. Ils se réunirent au conseil pour décider des mesures.

See also: réunir (to bring together), réunissant (present participle), réunification (the act of reuniting or reunification)