Mangeaient (en. Were eating)

/mɑ̃ʒɛ/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

verb

Third person plural of the imperfect of the verb to eat.

They ate pasta every Sunday.

Ils mangeaient des pâtes chaque dimanche.

Indicates a past feeding action.

At that time, they often ate in the cafeteria.

À l'époque, ils mangeaient souvent à la cantine.

Used to speak about eating in the past.

When they were children, they ate a lot of sweets.

Quand ils étaient enfants, ils mangeaient beaucoup de sucreries.

The word 'mangeaient' comes from the verb 'manger', which is derived from the Latin 'mānȳcāre'.

to eat one’s fill

To eat enough to be satisfied.

manger à sa faim

to eat like a bird

To eat very little.

manger comme un oiseau

to eat on the go

To eat quickly, often outside of one’s home.

manger sur le pouce

to eat

Taking food to consume it.

manger

food

What is eaten, food.

nourriture

meal

A time of day when one eats.

repas

To eat in large quantities.

We treated ourselves yesterday; we really ate heartily!

On s'est fait plaisir hier, on a vraiment mangé à gogo !

To eat quickly.

He ate his sandwiches in less time than it takes to say it.

Il a mangé ses sandwichs en moins de temps qu'il faut pour le dire.