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    N'étaient (en. Were not)

    /ne ɛtɛ/

    Meaning & Definition

    EnglishFrench
    verb
    Indicates a state or condition in the past for multiple subjects.
    They were not present at the meeting.
    Ils n'étaient pas présents à la réunion.
    Used to express a past situation that is no longer true.
    In the past, they were not friends.
    Autrefois, ils n'étaient pas amis.
    Negative form of an assertion in the past.
    The children were not happy with the surprise.
    Les enfants n'étaient pas contents de la surprise.

    Etymology

    Contraction of 'ne' and 'étaient', form of 'être' in the plural imperfect.

    Common Phrases and Expressions

    they were not there
    They are not present.
    ils n'étaient pas là
    not long ago, they were not
    Not long ago, they were not.
    il n'y a pas longtemps, ils n'étaient pas
    they were nothing
    They were not important.
    ils n'étaient rien

    Related Words

    be
    Verb that expresses state or existence.
    être
    was
    Form of the verb 'être' in the third person singular in the imperfect.
    était
    were
    Form of the verb 'être' in the third person plural in the imperfect indicative.
    étaient

    Slang Meanings

    Not at all
    They were not at all happy.
    Ils n'étaient pas du tout contents.
    Meant nothing
    At that time, they were nothing to us.
    À l'époque, ils n'étaient rien pour nous.