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Les femmes se sont parfois réfugiées dans la forêt avec le butin.

Les femmes se sont parfois réfugiées dans la forêt avec le butin.
The women sometimes took refuge in the forest with the loot.
From Lesson 449:Essentially pronominal verbs·French

Questions & Answers about Les femmes se sont parfois réfugiées dans la forêt avec le butin.

Why does réfugiées have an -es at the end?
Because se réfugier is an "essentially pronominal" verb. In the passé composé, the past participle of these verbs always agrees with the subject. Since the subject here is les femmes (feminine plural), we add -es to the past participle, making it réfugiées.
Could I use réfugier without the se in another context, like sheltering someone else?
No, you can't. Se réfugier (to take refuge) is one of those verbs that only exists in the reflexive form in French. If you want to say you are sheltering or hiding someone else, you must use a different verb, such as abriter or cacher.
Why is the adverb parfois placed right in the middle of the verb se sont réfugiées?
In compound tenses like the passé composé, short and common adverbs (such as parfois, souvent, déjà, or toujours) are typically placed between the auxiliary verb (here, sont) and the past participle (réfugiées).
Is le butin a common word for "loot"?
Yes! Le butin translates to "the loot," "the booty," or "the spoils." It is the standard French term used in the news, literature, and everyday speech when talking about stolen goods from a robbery, pirate treasure, or spoils of war.

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