Jévaluais

J'évaluais is the first person singular imperfect tense of the French verb évaluer, meaning to evaluate. In standard orthography, the form is j'évaluais, with elision of the initial je before a vowel. The version without the apostrophe, jévaluais, is considered incorrect in formal writing, though it may appear in informal contexts or due to typographical error.

The imperfect (imparfait) expresses past actions that were ongoing, habitual, or background in nature. For évaluer, the imperfect endings are added to the present stem évalu-: j'évaluais, tu évaluais, il/elle évaluait, nous évaluions, vous évaluiez, ils/elles évaluaient. It is commonly used to describe processes that were in progress in the past or repeated evaluation activities.

Usage notes: j'évaluais can describe ongoing evaluation of data, performance, or situations during a past period. It can set the scene in a narrative, or reflect a habitual task in a professional or academic context. The imperfect contrasts with the passé composé j'ai évalué, which indicates a completed evaluation of a specific event or moment. Modern French often uses the imperfect for descriptions and background rather than for single, finished actions.

Examples: "Pendant le stage, j'évaluais régulièrement les progrès des participants." Translation: "During the internship, I was regularly evaluating the progress of the participants." Another example: "Quand nous préparions le budget, j'évaluais les risques potentiels." Translation: "While we were preparing the budget, I was evaluating the potential risks."

Etymology: évaluer derives from value, related to the Latin valere. Related forms include the present tense j'évalue and other imperfect forms for different subjects.