rapportait

Rapportait is the third-person singular imperfect form of the French verb rapporter. Rapporting means to report, to bring back, or more generally to relate information. In the imperfect tense, rapportait indicates a past action that was ongoing or habitual, or serves as background in narration; it can translate as “was reporting” or “reported,” depending on context.

Etymology and meaning: Rapporter derives from Old French rapporter, built from rapport (a report) plus the infinitive -er. The sense of reporting information is primary, but rapporter can also mean to bring back an object, or, in business usage, to yield or bring in profits.

Usage: When rapporter means “to report,” rapportait describes what was being reported over a period or as a recurring action. Examples include: “Il rapportait les nouvelles du front chaque soir.” (He was reporting the news from the front each evening.) In the sense “to yield,” it can describe profitability: “Cette opération rapportait peu.” (That operation yielded little.) The phrase “Elle rapportait des chiffres précis” can mean she was reporting precise figures.

Conjugation note: The imperfect forms of rapporter include je rapportais, tu rapportais, il/elle rapportait, nous rapportions, vous rapportiez, ils rapportaient.

See also: Rapporter (verb), Imparfait (French past tense), Rapport (noun).