This is the 10934th most frequent French word.
passaient
"Passaient" means "were passing" or "passed" (imperfect tense of "passer").
The verb 'passaient' is used to describe an action occurring over an extended period in the past.
Les enfants passaient leurs vacances chez leurs grands-parents.
The children spent their holidays at their grandparents'.
Here, 'passaient' is used to describe a repeated action or event in the past.
Nous passaient souvent devant cette vieille boulangerie.
We often passed in front of that old bakery.
'Passaient' portrays the idea of leisure or consumption of time in a habitual or repeated manner during a past era.