This is the 11194th most frequent French word.
préexistaient
"Préexistaient" means "preexisted" (existed before).
In this sentence, 'préexistaient' is used to indicate that the cultural problems were already present before the occurrence of economic development, emphasizing a temporal relationship.
Les problèmes culturels préexistaient au développement économique.
The cultural problems preexisted the economic development.
Here, 'préexistaient' denotes that political tensions were already occurring before the treaty was signed, highlighting an order of events.
Des tensions politiques préexistaient à la signature du traité.
Political tensions preexisted the treaty's signing.
In this example, 'préexistaient' is used to specify that the beliefs were existing before being influenced by modern aspects, showing a timeline precedence.