This is the 10853rd most frequent French word.
optaient
"Optaient" means "were choosing" or "were opting."
Here, 'optaient' means 'opted for', indicating the choice by the students in the imperfect tense of past continuous action.
Les étudiants optaient pour des cours en ligne pour la flexibilité.
The students opted for online courses for flexibility.
In this context, 'optaient' portrays a preference or choice being made progressively during the meeting in the past tense.
Lors de la réunion, les membres optaient pour une solution collaborative.
During the meeting, the members were opting for a collaborative solution.
Here, 'optaient' is in the imperfect tense and indicates a habitual action of choosing vegetarian meals.