Marchaient

Marchaient is the third person plural imperfect indicative form of the French verb marcher, meaning to walk. It translates to “they were walking” or “they used to walk” in English and is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past.

Formation and forms: The imperfect is formed from the nous form of the present tense (nous marchons) with the endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. Therefore marchaient consists of the stem march- plus the ending -aient. The full imperfect paradigm for marcher is: je marchais, tu marchais, il/elle marchait, nous marchions, vous marchiez, ils/elles marchaient.

Usage: Marchaient is used to describe actions in the past without a defined beginning or end, to set the scene, or to express habitual past actions. In narrative, it often appears alongside other imperfect verbs and can be contrasted with completed actions expressed in the passé composé or other past tenses. It is not used for single, completed past events.

Examples: Ils marchaient lentement sous la pluie. Ils marchaient vers l’école tous les matins.

Notes: Marcher has related forms in other tenses and moods, such as marchent (present, ils/elles), marche (present, il/elle), and marché (past participle). As a verb form, marchaient functions strictly as a past imperfect construction and is not a standalone noun.