This is the 9250th most frequent French word.
couraient
"Couraient" means "were running" in English.
In this sentence, 'couraient' is the imperfect tense in French, used to describe an ongoing action in the past—here, the children's running.
Les enfants couraient rapidement vers le parc.
The children were running quickly towards the park.
In this context, 'couraient' describes a repeated action in the past, illustrating habitual behavior.
Quand il était jeune, il courait tous les matins.
When he was young, he used to run every morning.
In this case, 'couraient' shows an ongoing past action happening concurrently with another circumstance, emphasizing the vividness of the scene.