arrêtais

Arrêtais is a French verb form that comes from the verb arrêter, meaning “to stop.” It is the imparfait (imperfect) conjugation for the second-person singular and, in the first-person form, is written as j’arrêtais with elision before a vowel. The form tu arrêtais also exists. In general, arrêtais denotes an action that was ongoing, repeated, or customary in the past.

Formation and usage

The imperfect endings attach to the stem arrêt-: je arrêtais, tu arrêtais, il/elle arrêtait, nous arrêtions, vous arrêtiez, ils/elles arrêtaient. The specific subject is determined by the sentence context. The imparfait is used to describe background situations, ongoing past actions, or habits, and to set the scene in narrative writing.

Examples

- J’arrêtais de fumer lorsque j’ai déménagé. (I was quitting smoking when I moved.)

- Tu arrêtais de parler pendant la réunion. (You were stopping talking during the meeting.)

- Elle arrêtais souvent de travailler tard dans son enfance, selon les récits. (She used to stop working late in her childhood, according to accounts.)

Notes

Arrêtais should not be confused with passé composé forms such as j’ai arrêté or tu as arrêté, which express completed actions. The past participle arrêt é (arrêté) is used in compound tenses and as an adjective or noun in other contexts (for example, un arrêté meaning a decree). The imperfect form is a distinct tense with its own narrative and descriptive uses.