Précisaient

Précisaient is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the French verb préciser. The verb préciser means to make something more precise, to clarify, to specify, or to state something in detail. In the imperfect tense, it describes an ongoing or habitual action in the past, or a state of being in the past. Therefore, "précisaient" translates to "they were specifying," "they used to clarify," or "they stated in detail."

For example, in a sentence like "Les témoins précisaient les détails de l'accident," it would mean "The witnesses were specifying the details of the accident" or "The witnesses used to specify the details of the accident." The imperfect tense suggests that this specifying action was either ongoing at a particular time in the past or happened repeatedly. The context of the sentence determines the precise nuance.

Understanding "précisaient" requires knowledge of French verb conjugation, specifically the imperfect tense, and the meaning of the verb "préciser." It is commonly used in narrative contexts to describe past events where clarification or detailed statements were being made.