battaient

Battaient is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the French verb battre. It corresponds to English forms such as "they were beating," "they used to beat," or, in some contexts, "they beat" in a narrative past. The imperfect is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past or to set background in narration.

Conjugation and formation: battre follows regular imperfect endings after the present stem batt-. The full imperfect paradigm is je battais, tu battais, il battait, nous battions, vous battiez, ils battaient. The form battaient specifically marks the subject ils or elles.

Usage: The imperfect with battre is common in literature and spoken French to describe continuous actions, habits, or states in the past. It contrasts with the passé composé, which presents a completed event. Examples: "Ils battaient le tambour pendant la parade" (they were beating the drum during the parade); "Ils battaient des records à chaque tour" (they were breaking records at every lap); "Elle battait des œufs pour la recette" (she was beating eggs for the recipe).

Etymology and cognates: battre derives from Old French battre, with roots in the Latin verb battuere or battere, meaning to strike or beat. Cognates in other Romance languages include Italian battere, Spanish batir, and Portuguese bater. The word covers a range of senses, from physical striking to defeating opponents, and also figurative uses such as “to beat” eggs or to win against someone.

Notes: Battaient is primarily encountered in standard written and spoken French for past narrative contexts and should not be confused with forms of battre in other tenses.