suivirent

Suivirent is a French verb. It is the third-person plural past historic form of the verb suivre, which means "to follow." The past historic (passé simple) is a literary tense used primarily in written French to describe events that happened in the past. Therefore, "suivirent" typically translates to "they followed" or "they pursued." It indicates a completed action in the past, often within a narrative context. For example, in a story, one might read "Les soldats suivirent leur chef" (The soldiers followed their leader). The verb suivre itself has a broad range of applications, from literal physical movement to metaphorical concepts like following advice or a trend. The form "suivirent" specifically denotes that multiple subjects performed this action. While less common in everyday spoken French, where the passé composé (e.g., "ils ont suivi") is preferred, the passé simple and its forms like "suivirent" remain essential for formal writing and storytelling.