In this French grammar lesson we will learn about regular verbs conjugation in the imparfait.
In this lesson you will learn about:
- how regular verbs in the imparfait are conjugated in French,
- which verbs are common regular verbs in French,
- how regular verbs in the imparfait are pronounced in French,
- how regular verbs in the imparfait are used in sentences in French,
- how you can immediately test your knowledge on regular verbs conjugation in the imparfait,
- how regular verbs conjugation in the imparfait Anki files can be downloaded.
Please refer to the French A2 Curriculum to get a better overview of French grammar if you are curious about how regular verbs conjugation in the imparfait fits in French A2 grammar.
By the end of the lesson you will know all about regular verbs conjugation in the imparfait.
Table of Contents
Regular Verbs Conjugation in the Imparfait
| parler | choisir | vendre | |
| je | parlais | choisissais | vendais |
| tu | parlais | choisissais | vendais |
| il/elle/on | parlait | choisissait | vendait |
| nous | parlions | choisissions | vendions |
| vous | parliez | choisissiez | vendiez |
| ils/elles | parlaient | choisissaient | vendaient |
Regular Verbs Conjugation Method
In order to conjugate regular verbs in the imparfait one must:
- Take the nous form of a verb in the Present Tense
- Drop the -ons ending
- Add the new ending
The verb parler means to “speak”.
We will take this verb and conjugate it in the “je” form using the three step method.
- parlons
The nous form of the verb parler is parlons.
- parl
Once you cut of the ons ending all that is left is parl.
- parlais
When we add the new ending ais the final conjugated form will be parlais.
So when you wish to say “I was talking” in French you get:
Je parlais
So, to conjugate regular verbs in the imparfait, all you have to do is take the nous form a verb, drop the ending, and replace it with the new ending.
parler-> je parlais
choisir -> je choisissais
vendre -> je vendais
Common Regular Verbs
French has three regular verb groups
- regular -er verbs
- regular -ir verbs
- regular -re verbs
Almost all of the French verbs fall in these three groups. Here is a list of common verbs that you are sure to encounter in day-to-day life.
ER Verbs
| aimer | to like/to love |
| chercher | to look for |
| commander | to order/to command |
| couper | to cut |
| danser | to dance |
| demander | to ask |
| étudier | to study |
| habiter | to live |
| manger | to eat |
| regarder | to watch |
| tomber | to fall |
| travailler | to work |
| visiter | to visit (a place) |
IR Verbs
| choisir | to choose |
| finir | to finish |
| grandir | to grow up |
| investir | to invest |
| réfléchir | to think/to reflect |
| réussir | to succeed |
RE Verbs
| attendre | to wait |
| descendre | to go down |
| entendre | to hear |
| mordre | to bite |
| répondre | to answer |
| vendre | to sell |
Pronunciation of Regular Verbs Conjugations
In this section on regular verbs conjugation in the imparfait. we will focus on pronunciation.
There is 1 important rule to take into account when we want to pronounce the regular verbs conjugation in the imparfait..
- The je, tu, il/elle/on, and ils/elles form all have the same pronunciation. The s, t, and ent don’t get pronounced.
Je parlais
Tu parlais
Il parlais
Ils parlaient
All of these VERBS have the same pronounciation.
This rule holds true for all of the different types of regular verbs.
Example Sentences with Regular Verbs Conjugation in the Imparfait
The final section of this lesson on regular verbs conjugation in the imparfait. is about seeing regular verbs conjugation in the imparfait in action.
This is valuable because you can improve your understanding of regular verbs conjugation in the imparfait through examples.
parler
Je parlais de quelque chose d’autre.
I was talking about something else.
choisir
Que choisissais–tu ?
What were you choosing?
vendre
Il vendais des réfrigérateurs.
He was selling refrigerators.
danser
Nous dansions autour du feu.
We were dancing around the fire.
finir
Quand elle est entrée, nous finissions le plat principal.
When she came in, we were finishing the main dish.
attendre
Ses amies l’attendaient à la porte.
Her friends were waiting for her by the gate.
Test Your Knowledge on Regular Verbs Conjugation in the Imparfait
It’s not enough just to read the article on this subject.
You should test your knowledge to see if you really understood everything, and to be able to repeat the material.
It is also for this reason that it is recommended to download the Anki Decks and do them.
At the end of every lesson you can do a small test.
You will see the sentences of the previous chapter. It is up to you to give the correct answer.
You will either need to fill in the blanks, choose the correct multiple choice option, or both.
Once you are done the correct answer will be shown.
You can redo the quiz as many times as you want. There’s no limit to it!
Anki File for Regular Verbs Conjugation in the Imparfait
It is important to do the Anki excercises for this lesson, so that you can remember what you just studied.
By downloading the Anki File for French A2 you can practice every French A2 lesson that is on Language Atlas.
At this moment the Anki File for this lesson doesn’t exist yet. However, in due time this will be available on Language Atlas.
If you don’t know why you should use Anki, or don’t know how to use Anki or merge Anki files please click here.
Anki can be downloaded from here.
