N’étaient (en. Were not)

[ne.etɛ]

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

verb

Conjugated form of the auxiliary 'to be' in the imperfect indicative.

They weren’t there yesterday.

Ils n’étaient pas là hier.

Used to express a past condition that is no longer relevant.

If only solid evidence were provided, we could move forward.

Si seules des preuves solides n’étaient fournies, nous pourrions avancer.

Indicates something that did not exist in the past.

The laws weren’t as strict at that time.

Les lois n’étaient pas aussi strictes à l'époque.

Contraction of 'ne' and 'étaient', where 'étaient' is the verb 'to be' in the imperfect tense.

if they weren’t

indicates a hypothetical condition of the past.

s'ils n'étaient pas

they weren’t part of it

means they weren't included in an event.

ils n'étaient pas de la partie

to be

The infinitive verb meaning 'to exist' or 'to have a state'.

être

weren’t

Negative form corresponding to 'weren’t'.

n'étaient pas

was

Singular masculine form of the verb to be in the imperfect.

était

Not present

No one was there, they weren’t.

Personne n'était là, ils n’étaient pas.

Absence

It's clear, they weren’t at the appointment.

C'est clair, ils n’étaient pas au rendez-vous.