dépendaient

Dépendaient is a French verb form. It is the imperfect indicative third-person plural of the verb "dépendre." The verb "dépendre" means to depend on, to be contingent upon, or to rely on. Therefore, "dépendaient" translates to "they depended," "they were depending," or "they used to depend." This tense is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, or to set a scene. For example, in the sentence "Les enfants dépendaient de leurs parents pour leur nourriture," it means "The children depended on their parents for their food," indicating a past state of reliance. Similarly, "Avant la nouvelle loi, les commerçants dépendaient fortement des touristes" means "Before the new law, the shopkeepers depended heavily on tourists," highlighting a past habitual situation. The imperfect tense used in "dépendaient" emphasizes the duration or continuity of the dependence rather than a specific completed action. It is a crucial conjugation for expressing past states and ongoing actions in French narrative and description.