réprimandais

Réprimandais is the imperfect (imparfait) form of the French verb réprimander, meaning to reprimand, rebuke, or scold. In the imperfect, this form expresses an ongoing or repeated action in the past. Depending on the subject, réprimandais can mean je réprimandais (I was reprimanding / I used to reprimand) or tu réprimandais (you were reprimanding / you used to reprimand). The third-person forms are réprimandait, réprimandaient, etc.; an isolated réprimandais does not specify the subject and relies on context.

Réprimander is an -er verb; the imperfect endings for this verb are -ais, so the full set includes je réprimandais, tu réprimandais, il réprimandait, nous réprimandions, vous réprimandiez, ils réprimandaient. The form réprimandais by itself is therefore ambiguous and depends on the surrounding text to indicate the subject.

Usage of the imparfait with réprimander conveys past habits, routine actions, or background scenes in narrative writing. It is common in descriptive passages or reported speech to suggest a continued or customary pattern of scolding rather than a single completed event.

Examples:

- Je réprimandais les élèves qui bavardaient pendant le cours. (I was reprimanding the students who were talking during the lesson.)

- Tu réprimandais souvent ton frère pour ses retards. (You were reprimanding your brother often for his delays.)

In English, réprimandais can be translated as “I was reprimanding” or “you were reprimanding,” depending on the subject.