décrivaient
Décrivaient is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the French verb décrire, meaning “to describe.” It corresponds to “they were describing” or “they described (over a period in the past).” The imperfect is used for ongoing past actions, descriptions in progress, or background information in narrative and can also appear in indirect speech to recount descriptions given in the past.
The infinitive is décrire, and the principal present forms include décrivent (they describe). In the imperfect,
Décrivaient is commonly found in narrative passages to set scenes or convey how things were described in
Décrire derives from Latin describere, formed from the prefix de- plus scribere (to write). The sense evolved
- Les témoins décrivaient les événements tels qu’ils s’étaient déroulés.
- À l’époque, les chroniqueurs décrivaient le paysage avec précision.