vêtais

Vêtais is a conjugated form of the French verb vêtir, meaning to clothe or to dress. In standard modern French, vêtir is largely literary or archaic, and everyday speech typically uses porter or habiller to express the idea of wearing clothing. Vêtais specifically corresponds to the imperfect tense in the first person singular: “je vêtais” meaning “I was wearing” or “I used to wear.”

Etymology and meaning: vêtir derives from Old French and ultimately from Latin vestire, related to the noun veste (garment). The imperfect form vêtais preserves the stem vêt- with a circumflex on the e, reflecting historical vowel changes in French. The verb can denote placing clothing on someone or oneself, and in its pronominal senses can appear in literary contexts.

Usage and register: Because vêtir has receded from common oral use, vêtais appears mainly in literary, historical, or formal writing. In contemporary usage, speakers more often use verbs such as porter (to wear) or habiller (to dress someone) to convey similar ideas. When encountered in texts, vêtais typically signals an older style or a period echo.

Conjugation notes: Vêtir is an irregular -ir verb with a stem change in various tenses. In the imperfect, the first-person singular takes the form vêtais, with the full imperfect paradigm following standard -ais endings for il, nous, vous, and others (tu vêtais, il vêait, nous vêtions, vous vêtiez, ils vêtaient).

Example: Je vêtais une chemise blanche lorsque la porte s’ouvrit. This illustrates the sense of a past ongoing action of dressing. See also vestire (related verbs in other Romance languages) and the modern equivalents porter and habiller.