The French language has several tenses, each serving a specific purpose in expressing actions, states, or events in different time frames. One of these tenses is the imperfect tense, also known as “l’imparfait” in French. The imperfect tense is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions, states of being, and background information in the past. It is often used to set the scene or provide context for other past actions or events. In this explanation, we will explore the usage and conjugation of the imperfect tense in French.
Conjugation of the Imperfect Tense
To conjugate verbs in the imperfect tense, you need to know the stem of the verb and add specific endings based on the subject pronoun. There are three categories of verbs in French: -er verbs, -ir verbs, and -re verbs. Let’s explore how each category is conjugated in the imperfect tense.
Conjugation of -er verbs:
For regular -er verbs, the imperfect stem is formed by removing the -er ending from the infinitive form of the verb. The endings for -er verbs in the imperfect tense are as follows:
Je (I): -ais
Tu (You, singular informal): -ais
Il/Elle/On (He/She/One): -ait
Nous (We): -ions
Vous (You, plural or formal): -iez
Ils/Elles (They): -aient
Example: The verb “parler” (to speak)
Je parlais (I was speaking)
Tu parlais (You were speaking)
Il/Elle/On parlait (He/She/One was speaking)
Nous parlions (We were speaking)
Vous parliez (You were speaking)
Ils/Elles parlaient (They were speaking)
Conjugation of -ir verbs:
For regular -ir verbs, the imperfect stem is formed by removing the -ir ending from the infinitive form of the verb. The endings for -ir verbs in the imperfect tense are as follows:
Je (I): -issais
Tu (You, singular informal): -issais
Il/Elle/On (He/She/One): -issait
Nous (We): -issions
Vous (You, plural or formal): -issiez
Ils/Elles (They): -issaient
Example: The verb “choisir” (to choose)
Je choisissais (I was choosing)
Tu choisissais (You were choosing)
Il/Elle/On choisissait (He/She/One was choosing)
Nous choisissions (We were choosing)
Vous choisissiez (You were choosing)
Ils/Elles choisissaient (They were choosing)
Conjugation of -re verbs:
For regular -re verbs, the imperfect stem is formed by removing the -re ending from the infinitive form of the verb. The endings for -re verbs in the imperfect tense are as follows:
Je (I): -ais
Tu (You, singular informal): -ais
Il/Elle/On (He/She/One): -ait
Nous (We): -ions
Vous (You, plural or formal): -iez
Ils/Elles (They): -aient
Example: The verb “attendre” (to wait)
Je attendais (I was waiting)
Tu attendais (You were waiting)
Il/Elle/On attendait (He/She/One was waiting)
Nous attendions (We were waiting)
Vous attendiez (You were waiting)
Ils/Elles attendaient (They were waiting)
Irregular verbs in the imperfect tense:
There are a few irregular verbs in the imperfect tense, which do not follow the regular conjugation patterns. Some common irregular verbs include “être” (to be), “avoir” (to have), and “faire” (to do/make). Here are their conjugations:
Être:
J’étais (I was)
Tu étais (You were)
Il/Elle/On était (He/She/One was)
Nous étions (We were)
Vous étiez (You were)
Ils/Elles étaient (They were)
Avoir:
J’avais (I had)
Tu avais (You had)
Il/Elle/On avait (He/She/One had)
Nous avions (We had)
Vous aviez (You had)
Ils/Elles avaient (They had)
Faire:
Je faisais (I was doing/making)
Tu faisais (You were doing/making)
Il/Elle/On faisait (He/She/One was doing/making)
Nous faisions (We were doing/making)
Vous faisiez (You were doing/making)
Ils/Elles faisaient (They were doing/making)
Example Sentences:
Ongoing action in the past:
Quand j’étais étudiant, j’étudiais tous les soirs. (When I was a student, I used to study every evening.)
Habitual action in the past:
Nous allions souvent au cinéma le samedi soir. (We used to go to the movies often on Saturday evenings.)
Background information:
Il faisait beau ce jour-là, les oiseaux chantaient et le vent soufflait doucement. (It was a beautiful day, the birds were singing, and the wind was blowing gently.)
Mental or emotional state in the past:
Elle était très heureuse de voir ses amis après si longtemps. (She was very happy to see her friends after such a long time.)
In conclusion, the imperfect tense in French is used to describe ongoing actions, habitual actions, provide background information, and express mental or emotional states in the past. It is conjugated differently depending on the verb category (-er, -ir, or -re), and it adds specific endings to the stem of the verb. By understanding the usage and conjugation of the imperfect tense, you can effectively communicate events and actions in the past in French.
Originally posted 2023-07-16 19:11:17.