vérifiaient

vérifiaient is the imperfect plural form of the French verb vérifier. The verb vérifier means to verify, check, or confirm. In the imperfect tense, vérifier conveys a sense of ongoing or repeated action in the past. Therefore, "vérifiaient" translates to "they were verifying," "they used to verify," or "they were checking."

The imperfect tense in French is used to describe states, habits, and actions that were in progress or habitual in the past without a specific endpoint. When used with "vérifiaient," it suggests that a group of people (they) were engaged in the act of verifying something over a period of time, or that this was a regular occurrence in their past.

For example, one might say "Les scientifiques vérifiaient les données chaque jour" (The scientists were verifying the data every day), indicating a routine action. Alternatively, "Ils vérifiaient l'itinéraire avant de partir" (They were checking the route before leaving) describes an action in progress. The specific context determines the precise nuance of "vérifiaient."