jétais

Jétais is not a standard spelling in French. The correct first-person singular imperfect of être is j’étais, with an apostrophe. The form jétais may appear as a typographical error, in casual writing, or as a stylized variant, but it is not recognized as a separate word in standard French.

In grammar, j’étais is the imperfect (imparfait) of être. The imperfect describes ongoing states, habitual actions, or background conditions in the past, rather than completed events. For example: J’étais fatigué après la longue journée. J’étais en train de lire quand le téléphone a sonné. These constructions set scenes or describe what was happening over a period.

The imperfect of être is part of a larger system of verb conjugation in French. Other forms include tu étais, il était, nous étions, vous étiez, ils étaient. The imperfect contrasts with the passé composé, such as j’ai été, which expresses a completed state or a specific past event. For example: J’ai été malade pendant une semaine, but J’étais malade pendant une semaine describes the ongoing condition over that period.

See also: French verb conjugation, the verb être, and the imparfait. In standard usage, one should write j’étais for the first-person singular imperfect; jétais is generally considered a nonstandard variant or error rather than a distinct form.