différait

Différait is a form of the French verb differer, used in the imperfect tense. The verb différer has two main senses in modern French: to be different from something or someone (to differ), and to postpone or delay something (to defer). The form différait corresponds to the third person singular in the imperfect, as in il différait or elle différait.

Etymology and meaning. Différer comes from Latin differre, meaning to carry away, to delay, or to differ. In French, the sense of postponement developed from the idea of delaying a decision or an action, while the sense of being not identical comes from comparing one thing with another. Today, both senses remain common, and the verb is used in formal and written contexts as well as in everyday speech.

Usage and examples. In the sense of being different, différer takes de or other prepositions when comparing items: ses résultats diffèrent des miens. In the sense of delaying, différer is transitive and can take a direct object: différer une décision, différer la mise en œuvre d’un plan. An imperfect usage: il différait souvent ses rendez-vous, signaling a habitual postponement in the past. A more neutral contemporary formulation might be: la décision a été différée, or les opinions diffèrent sur ce point.

Conjugation notes. Différer is an -er verb with regular imperfect endings: je différais, tu différais, il différait, nous différions, vous différiez, ils différaient. The form différait is thus the standard third-person singular imperfect, suitable for narrative past contexts or description of habitual states in the past.