demandaient

Demandaient is the imperfect indicative form of the French verb demander in the third person plural. It corresponds to “they were asking for” or “they used to ask for” something in English. The form is regular for -er verbs: the imperfect endings are -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient, attached to the stem. For demander, the stem is demand-, yielding ils demandaient / elles demandaient.

Usage and nuances: The imperfect describes ongoing or repeated past actions, or the background surrounding other events. It can set the scene in storytelling, or convey a polite or tentative tone when describing past requests. It contrasts with the passé composé “ils ont demandé,” which marks a completed act of asking for something. In indirect speech, the imparfait is often used after verbs of saying or thinking to report a past request.

Examples: Ils demandaient une explication. Ils demandaient pourquoi cela prenait autant de temps.

Origin and related forms: Demander, from which demandaient derives, is a regular -er verb in modern French. The verb itself comes from Old French demander, with roots in Latin demandare, meaning to entrust or to require. Related forms include demande (noun or imperative 2nd person singular), demandaient’s present tense forms, and other past tenses such as ont demandé (passé composé) or demandaient-il (inversion for questions).