This is the 9079th most frequent French word.
commençaient
"Commençaient" means "were starting" or "were beginning."
The word 'commençaient' is used in the imperfect tense to describe an action that was ongoing in the past.
Ils commençaient à comprendre la leçon.
They were beginning to understand the lesson.
Here, 'commençaient' again denotes a gradual or ongoing action in the past, emphasizing the continuous emergence of stars.
Les étoiles commençaient à apparaître dans le ciel nocturne.
The stars were starting to appear in the night sky.
The verb 'commençaient' illustrates repeated or widespread actions during the past period described.