prenaient

Prenaient is the imperfect indicative form of the French verb prendre for the third-person plural (ils/elles). The verb prendre means “to take” and is used in a wide range of senses, including taking an object, taking a meal, or taking a means of transport. In the imperfect tense, the stem pren- takes the standard imperfect endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. Therefore, prenaient corresponds to ils/elles pren- + aient, used with iles as the subject without needing an explicit pronoun in written French.

Etymology and form: Prendre, and by extension prenaient, comes from Latin prehendere (to seize). The imperfect form prenaient is regular for the prendre family, despite the irregularities present in the present tense forms. Other imperfect forms include je prenais, tu prenais, il prenait, nous prenions, vous preniez, ils prenaient.

Usage: Prenaient is used to describe past actions that were ongoing, habitual, or backgrounded in relation to another past event. It often conveys a sense of continuity or repetition. It contrasts with passé composé, which would indicate a completed action: ils ont pris means “they took” (as a completed event). Examples: Ils prenaient le train tous les matins. Quand le soleil se levait, ils prenaient leur petit-déjeuner. These uses are common in narrative and descriptive prose.

See also: other imperfect forms of prendre (je prenais, tu prenais, il prenait, nous prenions, vous preniez, ils prenaient) and related verbs in the prendre group.