regroupaient

Regroupaient is the imperfect indicative third-person plural form of the French verb regrouper, meaning they regrouped or they were regrouping. It is used to describe an action in the past that was ongoing, repeated, or habitual, rather than a completed single event.

Etymology and meaning: regrouper comes from the prefix re- meaning again or back, combined with groupe (group). The sense is to bring together again or to organize into a group, often used in military, logistical, or organizational contexts.

Conjugation and usage: In the imperfect tense, the full paradigm is je regroupais, tu regroupais, il regroupait, nous regroupions, vous regroupiez, ils regroupaient. The form regroupaient specifically marks the third-person plural: they were regrouping or they regrouped. This tense is commonly used in narrative to describe how groups reassembled after a disruption or to indicate a recurring action in the past.

Examples: In historical or military writing, one might encounter: Les troupes regroupaient leurs rangs après l’attaque. In a logistical context: Les responsables regroupaient les documents par thème avant l’audit. These usages illustrate how regroupement sets scenes of order after disorder or repeated organization.

See also: regrouper, se regrouper, regroupement. Note that regroupement denotes the action or result of regrouping as a noun, while regrouper is the base verb and se regrouper means to regroup oneself or to come together.