échangeaient

The word "échangeaient" is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the French verb "échanger." This verb generally translates to "to exchange," "to swap," or "to trade." In the imperfect tense, it describes a habitual or ongoing action in the past, or a state of being in the past.

Therefore, "échangeaient" would be used in sentences to convey that a group of people or things were engaged in the act of exchanging something over a period of time, or that this exchange was a recurring event in the past. For example, "Les enfants échangeaient leurs jouets" means "The children used to exchange their toys," indicating a repeated or continuous activity. Similarly, "Ils échangeaient des regards" translates to "They were exchanging glances," suggesting a mutual and possibly ongoing action. The imperfect tense also implies that the action was not necessarily completed or that it sets a scene for another event. The specific meaning of "échangeaient" is thus dependent on the context of the sentence in which it appears.