Furent-ils (en. Were they)

/fyʁ̃ ɛ̃/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

verb

Used in the second person plural in the simple past to express a completed action.

They were very surprised by the news.

Ils furent très surpris par la nouvelle.

Formal usage in written or literary language.

In history, they were the heroes of the resistance.

Dans l'histoire, ils furent les héros de la résistance.

May refer to a prior situation where 'they' were mentioned.

Before that, they were traveling in Spain.

Avant cela, ils furent en voyage en Espagne.

The term 'furent' is the form of the verb 'être' in the simple past, derived from the Latin 'fuit'.

were they present at the meeting?

Question about their presence.

furent-ils présents à la réunion ?

there were rumors that they were there

Indication of their potential presence.

il y eut des rumeurs qu'ils furent là

were they informed of the situation?

Inquiry about their knowledge of the facts.

furent-ils informés de la situation ?

presence

State of being present.

présence

history

Narrative of past events.

histoire

action

Act performed or fact.

action

In a humorous context, to say that something happened.

So, they were there for the party, it was crazy!

Alors, ils furent là pour la fête, c'était dingue !

Expression to refer to a past situation in a relaxed way.

Oh yes, they were there, we had a great laugh that day.

Ah oui, ils furent là, on avait bien ri ce jour-là.