convainquaient

Convainquaient is a conjugated form of the French verb convaincre in the imperfect indicative, 3rd person plural. It conveys an action of persuading that took place in the past, often with a sense of continuity or repetition, as in “Ils convainquaient les témoins” (they were persuading the witnesses) or “Ils convainquaient les clients de la nécessité.” The imperfect can describe background circumstances in narration or a habitual past action.

Etymology and meaning: Convaincre comes from Latin convincere, meaning to prove, overpower, or persuade. The French form convainqu- reflects regular imperfect conjugation patterns for this verb, with the ending -aient added to the stem convai(n)qu-.

Morphology and usage notes: The stem for the imperfect is derived from the present tense stem in the first-person plural, “nous convainquons,” resulting in the stem convainqu- for the imperfect endings. The ending -aient is the usual third-person plural imperfect ending. In usage, convaincre emphasizes changing someone’s mind or belief through argument or evidence, while the imperfect highlights the past, ongoing, or repeated nature of that persuasion.

Examples:

- Ils convainquaient les investisseurs de signer le contrat.

- Les orateurs convainquaient progressivement l’audience au fil de la conférence.

See also: Convaincre, the infinitive form; other tenses of convincing verbs such as convainquent (present), convainquirent (passé simple). The term is primarily a grammatical form rather than a standalone lexical item, and is typically encountered in written or formal discourse.