passait

Passait is the third-person singular imperfect indicative form of the French verb passer. It translates to "was passing" or "used to pass" and is used to describe ongoing actions, habits, or background events in the past. Like other -er verbs in the imperfect, the stem comes from the present tense form without the -ons ending, giving pass- plus the endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient, so the form corresponds to il passait, meaning "he/one was passing" or "he/one used to pass."

Etymology and grammar: Passer, from which passait derives, is a common French verb with a broad range of senses including to pass, to spend (time), to transfer, or to survive. The imperfect tense, including passait, is used for descriptions in the past, states of being, or repeated past actions, and it often sets the scene in narrative or reported speech.

Usage: Passait commonly appears in sentences like "Il passait devant la boulangerie chaque matin," meaning he was passing by the bakery each morning, or "Le temps passait lentement," meaning time was passing slowly. It can express habitual past actions, as in "Elle passait ses étés à la campagne," or describe concurrent past actions, as in "Quand il parlait, elle écoutait passivement." It contrasts with the passé composé, which marks specific, completed past events rather than ongoing or repeated past actions.

Notes: The form is specific to the third person singular; other persons use je passais, tu passais, nous passions, vous passiez, ils passaient. Passait, like other imperfect forms, conveys nuance of duration, repetition, or background rather than a single completed moment.