Écrivais

Écrivais is a conjugated form of the French verb écrire, meaning “to write.” It is the imperfect (imparfait) indicative form, used to describe past actions that were ongoing, habitual, or setting the background in a narrative. The ending -ais signals the first- or second-person singular in the imperfect tense.

Conjugation in the imperfect tense is formed from the stem écriv- plus the appropriate endings: je écrivais, tu écrivais, il écrivait, nous écrivions, vous écriviez, ils écrivaient. The stem remains écri-, with the usual imperfect endings added, making the form recognizable in verbs with the same pattern.

Usage and nuance: used to describe past activities without a definite end, to recount routines, or to set the scene in descriptive writing. For example, j’écrivais chaque jour pendant mon séjour à la campagne, or elle écrivait une lettre lorsque le téléphone sonna. The imperfect conveys continuity or repetition rather than a completed action, contrasting with passé composé forms that emphasize a specific, completed moment.

Etymology and related forms: écrire derives from Latin scribere, via Old French escripre and medieval variants. The imperfect forms follow the regular -oir verb pattern in French, though écrire itself is an irregular verb in other tenses and moods. Related forms include other imperfect endings for écrire in je, tu, il, nous, vous, ils contexts. Écrivais, therefore, sits within a standard pattern used across many French verbs to describe past ongoing actions.