This is the 15020th most frequent Russian word.
подходили
"Подходили" means "approached" or "came up to" in English.
In this sentence, 'подходили' is used in the past tense imperfective aspect to describe an ongoing action of approaching.
Мы подходили к лесу, когда начался дождь.
We were approaching the forest when it started raining.
In this example, 'подходили' is used in a question about a past event where the action of approaching is queried in the imperfective aspect.
Вы подходили к станции на трамвае?
Did you approach the station by tram?
Here, 'подходили' signifies an ongoing or repeated past action of taking an approach or dealing with the problem.