No. 263 in Arabic
كانوا
"They were."
In a sentence
كانوا يعملون بجد طوال الأسبوع.
They were working hard all week.
The word "كانوا" here indicates the past continuous tense they verb "to be" in third-person plural form.
كانوا في المنزل عندما هطل المطر.
They were at home when it rained.
"كانوا" is used to indicate a state or condition in the past for the plural entity.
كانوا سيذهبون إلى السينما، لكنهم غيروا رأيهم.
They were going to go to the cinema, but they changed their mind.
In this context, "كانوا" is used to suggest a hypothetical or intended action in the past for the plural.
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