prêtais

Prêtais is the imperfect tense form of the French verb prêter, meaning to lend. It appears in the second-person singular forms tu prêtais and the first-person singular je prêtais. The full imperfect conjugation is: je prêtais, tu prêtais, il/elle prêtait, nous prêtions, vous prêtiez, ils/elles prêtaient. The imperfect is used for past actions that were ongoing, habitual, or provide background description.

Etymology and form: Prêter comes from Old French prestar, ultimately from Latin praestare, meaning to furnish or provide. The circumflex on ê in prêtais reflects historical pronunciation changes. The form prêtais shares the same root with related verbs and derives its endings from the imperfect paradigm.

Usage notes: Prêter takes a direct object for what is lent, as in « Je te prêtais mon livre » (I was lending you my book). The imperfect contrasts with the passé composé « j'ai prêté », which marks a completed lending action. A common expression is « prêter attention à », meaning to pay attention to, which uses the infinitive after prêter. The noun form for the lender is prêteur (masculine); prêt is the noun for a loan, and prêté(e) can function as an adjective meaning ready.

See also: prêter (the infinitive), prêt (loan or ready), prêteur (lender).