rêvaient

Rêvaient is the imperfect indicative plural form of the French verb rêver. It corresponds to the English "they were dreaming" or "they dreamed" and is used to describe past actions or states that were ongoing, repeated, or customary. The sense can be literal, referring to dreams during sleep, or figurative, referring to aspirations or hopes in the past (for example, dreaming of a future goal).

Rêver, from which rêvaient is derived, means both to dream while asleep and to dream about or of something. The imperfect endings for -er verbs are -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient, so the stem rêv- combines with -aient to produce rêvaient. The spelling includes a circumflex on the first e, a feature of the verb’s stem. In usage, rêver is often followed by de to express what one dreams of (e.g., rêver de voyager).

Common constructions include describing ongoing past scenarios (Ils rêvaient de devenir médecins) or habitual past states (Ils rêvaient souvent de découvrir le monde). The form is typical in narrative and descriptive writing, especially in literary or historical contexts, where past-sponsored aspirations or nighttime dreams are part of the scene.

See also: rêver, rêve, imparfait.