concourais

Concourais is the first-person singular imperfect indicative form of the French verb concourir. It is used to describe an ongoing or habitual action in the past, such as participating in competitions or contributing to a larger result. The verb concourir can mean to compete in a contest, to contend, or more broadly to contribute to a desired outcome.

Etymology and meaning: Concourir derives from Latin concurrere, formed from com- “together” and currere “to run.” In modern French, the sense ranges from taking part in a contest to helping bring about a result, as in concourir à une cause or à un objectif.

Conjugation notes: The imperfect tense expresses repeated or ongoing past action. The full imperfect forms are: je concourais, tu concourais, il concourait, nous concourions, vous concouriez, ils concouraient. The verb also appears in other tenses, for example the present tense je concours, tu concours, il concourt, nous concourons, vous concourez, ils concourent, and the infinitive concourir.

Usage examples: Je concourais chaque année dans ce concours de mathématiques. Ses efforts concouraient à l’amélioration générale du système. A phrase like concourir à un objectif highlights the broader sense of contributing to a result, not just competing.

See also: concourir, concours (competition), concourant. The term is primarily used in formal or literary contexts, and its imperfect form appears in past narration or description.