Enfermait

Enfermait is the imperfect tense form of the French verb enfermer, meaning to imprison, shut in, or confine. In addition to its literal sense, it is used in narrative to describe ongoing past actions or states, or repeated past behaviors.

Grammatical notes: The imperfect (imparfait) describes actions in the past that were habitual, continuous, or background. For enfermer, the stem for the imperfect is enferm-, and the endings are ais, ais, ait, ions, iez, aient. Therefore, enfermait corresponds to il/elle/on enfermait. The other imperfect forms are j’enfermais, tu enfermais, nous enfermions, vous enfermiez, ils/elles enfermaient.

Usage and examples: Enfermait can indicate a past habit or ongoing situation. Example: Il enfermait les prisonniers dans une cellule jusqu’à leur transfert, which means “He was imprisoning the prisoners in a cell until their transfer.” Another example shows a reflexive use in narration: Elle s’enfermait dans son bureau chaque soir, meaning “She would shut herself in her office every evening.”

Etymology and related forms: Enfermer is formed from en- (toward the inside) plus fermer (to close). The verb is regular in the -er conjugation pattern, with enfermer sharing its root with related verbs such as confiner and emprisonner in meaning.

See also: enfermé, enfermer (to imprison, to shut in), imprimer? Not applicable here. The term enfermait is primarily a grammatical form rather than a standalone concept, used within sentences to convey past ongoing confinement or enclosure.