étiez

Étiez is the second-person plural imperfect form of the French verb être. It is used with the subject vous to describe past states, ongoing conditions, or habitual actions. In the broader grammar of French, the imperfect (l’imparfait) provides background information in narration and describes ongoing or repeated past situations, contrasting with the simple past or passé composé for completed actions.

Common uses include describing a state in the past (for example, Vous étiez fatigués), setting the scene (Vous étiez sur le point de partir lorsque le téléphone a sonné), or indicating habitual past behavior (Vous étiez toujours en retard lorsque nous commencions les réunions). It also appears in reported speech after a past-tense verb of saying or thinking (Il a dit que vous étiez prêt). Negation is straightforward: Vous n’étiez pas au courant.

Formation and forms: The imparfait is formed with the stem ét- plus the standard imperfect endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. For être, the complete imperfect conjugation is: j’étais, tu étais, il était, nous étions, vous étiez, ils étaient. The form étiez corresponds specifically to the second-person plural.

Etymology and notes: Étiez comes from the verb être, whose imperfect forms date back to Old French and ultimately derive from Latin esse. In modern French, ét- marks the imperfect stem of être, and étiez is the regular imperfect ending applied to that stem for vous.

See also: être, imparfait, passé composé.