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Ellos fueron al castillo por la mañana.

Ellos fueron al castillo por la mañana.
They went to the castle in the morning.
From Lesson 102:The preterite of ser and ir (fui, fuiste)·Spanish (Latin America)

Breakdown of Ellos fueron al castillo por la mañana.

ellos
they
ir
to go
al
to the
el castillo
the castle
por la mañana
in the morning

Questions & Answers about Ellos fueron al castillo por la mañana.

Wait, fueron can mean they went or they were. How do I know which one it is here?
Context is everything! Since fueron is followed by a destination (al castillo), it has to be the verb ir (to go). If it were followed by a description, like an adjective or a profession, it would be ser (to be). Both verbs share the exact same forms in this past tense.
Why is it al castillo and not a el castillo?
In Spanish, whenever the preposition a (to) is followed immediately by the masculine article el (the), they must combine to form the contraction al. You will never see a el written together like that because they always merge.
Why do we use por to say in the morning?
When talking about parts of the day like morning, afternoon, or evening in a general sense, Spanish uses por. So, in the morning translates to por la mañana. If you were giving a specific time on the clock, like 8:00 in the morning, you would use de la mañana instead.
Is the word a always required after fueron?
When you use a form of ir (to go) to say someone went to a destination, you must follow it with the preposition a (to). Here, fueron a (which combines with el to make al) connects the action of going to the actual destination, the castle.

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