Péraient

Péraient is a French verb, the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the verb "perdre." "Perdre" means to lose. Therefore, "péraient" translates to "they were losing" or "they used to lose." This tense, the imperfect, is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, as well as descriptions or states of being in the past.

For example, one might say "Les joueurs péraient la concentration pendant les matchs" which means "The players were losing concentration during the matches." Another example could be "Ils péraient leurs clés souvent" meaning "They used to lose their keys often." The imperfect tense in "péraient" emphasizes the duration or the repetition of the action of losing, rather than a single, completed event. This contrasts with the passé simple or passé composé, which would typically describe a specific instance of losing something. Understanding the context in which "péraient" is used is key to correctly interpreting its meaning in a French sentence.