This is the 11111th most frequent French word.
prenaient
"Took" or "were taking" (imperfect tense of "prendre").
Prenaient is used as the imperfect tense to indicate an ongoing action in the past.
Les élèves prenaient des notes pendant le cours.
The students were taking notes during the class.
Prenaient illustrates a habitual or repeated action in the past, showing deliberation.
Ils prenaient leur temps pour répondre à la question difficile.
They were taking their time to answer the difficult question.
Prenaient describes a recurring past event or tradition.