trouvions

Trouvions is a form of the French verb trouver. It is the first-person plural imperfect indicative, used with the subject nous to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. In English, it corresponds to phrases like “we found” or “we used to find.” The imperfect is used to set background, describe states, or indicate repeated past actions, rather than a completed past event.

Formation and usage

The stem trouv- combines with the imperfect ending -ions to yield nous trouvions. This contrasts with other tenses such as the present (nous trouvons) or the past simple (nous avons trouvé). The imperfect can express duration, customary actions, or descriptions in the past, often paired with time markers like souvent, autrefois, ou régulièrement.

Examples

- Nous trouvions des solutions chaque fois que le problème revenait. (We used to find solutions every time the problem returned.)

- Quand nous trouvions enfin le chemin, il était trop tard. (When we were finally finding the way, it was too late.)

Notes

Trouvions is common in written French, especially in narrative or descriptive passages. In spoken French, imperfect forms of other verbs often stand in for longer narrative sequences, and the on construction (on trouvait) may be used as a general, less formal alternative to nous trouvions. See also French verb conjugation and the imperfect tense for related forms and broader usage.