Récapitulais

Récapitulais is the imperfect indicative form of the French verb récapituler, which means to summarize or to recapitulate. It denotes an ongoing or habitual action in the past, as in recounting main points over a period or repeating the same activity.

Etymology and form: récapituler comes from the prefix ré- plus capitul- derived from Latin caput (head) and capitulum (a little head or heading), originally meaning to recount the main points or to provide a recap. In the imperfect tense, the singular forms are je récapitulais and tu récapitulais, while il récapitulait, and the plural forms are nous récapitulions, vous récapituliez, ils récapitaient. The word is strictly a verb form rather than a stand-alone noun.

Usage: The imperfect is used to describe past actions without a defined endpoint, often as background or repeated activity. Récapitulais can appear in narrative or explanatory contexts to indicate that the speaker was summarizing information over time. It contrasts with the passé composé or passé simple, which describe completed actions. Examples: «Je récapitulais les points principaux à chaque étape du rapport.» «Tu récapitulais souvent les conclusions avant chaque présentation.» In everyday writing, this form situates the recap activity in the past rather than presenting a single finished recap.

Related terms: The noun récapitulatif or récapitulation refers to a summary or a recap itself, while récapitulier is the verb form that carries the action of summarizing.

See also: résumé, récapitulatif, récapitulation.