Voyais

Voyais is a form of the French verb voir in the imperfect tense (l’imparfait). It expresses an action that was ongoing, habitual, or described in the past. The form can correspond to either the first person singular je voyais or the second person singular tu voyais, depending on the subject used in a sentence.

Conjugation

In full, the imperfect conjugation of voir is: je voyais, tu voyais, il voyait, nous voyions, vous voyiez, ils voyaient. The ending -ais appears for both je and tu in the imperfect, while the other persons take the standard imperfect endings. The form voyais therefore serves as the first or second person singular past tense form of voir.

Etymology and form

Voir comes from the Latin videre, with the imperfect endings derived from the Latin imperfect system. The imperfect tense in French is used to describe past actions without focusing on their termination, to set scenes, or to express habits in the past. The stem for the imperfect of voir is voy-, and the endings are regular for this tense, making voyais a predictable form once the tense is recognized.

Usage notes

Voyais is typically used to describe past perception, awareness, or visibility that was continuous or repeated in the past. Examples include: Je voyais les étoiles chaque nuit; Tu voyais bien les changements qui se produisaient; The context often clarifies whether the meaning is ongoing perception or habitual observation.

See also

See also the verb voir, its other tenses, and related French verb conjugation patterns.