espériez

Espériez is a verb form in the French language. It is the second-person plural imperfect indicative or imperfect subjunctive of the verb espérer. Espérer generally translates to "to hope" or "to expect" in English.

The imperfect indicative tense is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, as well as to set a scene or provide background information. Therefore, "espériez" in this context would mean "you (plural) were hoping" or "you (plural) used to hope." For example, "Vous espériez qu'il pleuve" translates to "You were hoping it would rain."

The imperfect subjunctive tense is used in subordinate clauses, particularly after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or necessity, and it also refers to past events. Thus, "espériez" in the imperfect subjunctive would also relate to a past hope or expectation, often dependent on another clause. For instance, "Je doutais que vous espériez cela" means "I doubted that you were hoping for that."

The specific meaning of "espériez" is determined by its grammatical context within a sentence. It refers to the action of hoping or expecting performed by a plural "you" in a past timeframe, with the nuance of whether it was a continuous action or part of a dependent clause.