démarrais

démarrais is a verb form in the French language. It is the first-person singular imperfect indicative of the verb démarrer. The verb démarrer generally translates to "to start," "to set off," or "to begin." Therefore, "démarrais" means "I was starting," "I was setting off," or "I was beginning."

The imperfect tense in French is used to describe ongoing actions, habitual actions, or states of being in the past. It conveys a sense of continuity or description rather than a completed event. For example, "Je démarrais ma voiture quand le téléphone a sonné" translates to "I was starting my car when the phone rang." In this context, "démarrais" describes the action of starting the car as it was in progress when another event occurred.

Another common usage is to describe a past habit or a situation that was happening over a period of time. For instance, "Quand j'étais jeune, je démarrais toujours ma journée par un café" means "When I was young, I always started my day with a coffee." Here, "démarrais" indicates a recurring action in the past.

The verb démarrer can also be used figuratively to mean to initiate a project or a process. Thus, "démarrais" can also imply "I was initiating" or "I was launching" something in the past. The specific meaning is dependent on the context in which the verb is used.