Passaient (en. Were passing)

/pa.se/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench
verb
The action of passing time.
They spent their vacation in the mountains.
Ils passaient leurs vacances à la montagne.
To move from one place to another.
The trains were passing quickly towards Paris.
Les trains passaient rapidement en direction de Paris.
To be in the process of unfolding.
The hours passed without them noticing.
Les heures passaient sans qu'ils ne s'en aperçoivent.

Etymology

Comes from the verb 'passer', derived from the Latin 'passare'.

Common Phrases and Expressions

passing the time
To occupy a moment without a specific activity.
passer le temps
taking action
To decide to take action.
passer à l'action
to make something go through
To ensure that something is received or accepted.
faire passer

Related Words

passer
To make the movement from one place to another.
passer
passage
The action of moving or transitioning from one place to another.
passage
passant
One who passes by, particularly a pedestrian.
passant

Slang Meanings

Used to describe hanging around aimlessly.
We were just passing through the area, not doing anything special.
On passait juste dans le coin, sans rien faire de spécial.
Evokes the idea of forgetting about the passing time.
We were so absorbed in conversation that we passed by without even realizing it.
On était tellement absorbés par la conversation qu'on passait sans même s'en rendre compte.