détestais

The French verb "détestais" is the imperfect indicative form of the verb "détester," which means "to hate" or "to detest." It is used to describe an ongoing or habitual feeling of hatred in the past. For example, someone might say "Je détestais le lundi" which translates to "I hated Mondays." This implies a consistent dislike that existed over a period of time in the past, rather than a sudden or specific instance of hatred. The imperfect tense in French is employed for background actions, descriptions, and repeated events in the past. Therefore, "détestais" conveys a sense of something that was a continuous state of being or feeling. It can be applied to people, objects, situations, or abstract concepts. The conjugation of "détester" in the imperfect follows the standard pattern for -er verbs. The first-person singular form is "je détestais." Other forms include "tu détestais" (you hated), "il/elle/on détestait" (he/she/one hated), "nous détestions" (we hated), "vous détestiez" (you all hated), and "ils/elles détestaient" (they hated). Understanding the nuance of the imperfect tense is key to correctly interpreting and using "détestais" in French.