Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
Introduction to the verb dodiner
The English translation of the French verb “dodiner” is “to nod.” The infinitive form of “dodiner” is pronounced as “doh-dee-nay.”
The origin of the verb “dodiner” can be traced back to the Latin word “donare,” which means “to give.” In everyday French, “dodiner” is most commonly used in the imparfait tense, which expresses ongoing or repeated actions in the past.
Here are three examples of “dodiner” in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:
-
Chaque fois que je l’appelais, il dodinait de la tête.
(Whenever I called him, he would nod his head.) -
Quand nous étions fatigués, nous dodinions en classe.
(When we were tired, we used to nod off in class.) -
Tous les soirs, mon grand-père s’installait dans son fauteuil et dodinait doucement.
(Every evening, my grandfather would settle into his armchair and gently nod off.)
These examples illustrate the use of “dodiner” to describe repeated or ongoing nodding actions in the past.
Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of dodiner
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | dodelinais | Je dodelinais la tête. | I nodded my head. |
tu | dodelinais | Tu dodelinais en écoutant. | You nodded while listening. |
il | dodelinait | Il dodelinait de la tête. | He nodded his head. |
elle | dodelinait | Elle dodelinait en signe d’approbation. | She nodded in agreement. |
on | dodelinait | On dodelinait en rythme. | We nodded in rhythm. |
nous | dodelinions | Nous dodelinions en chantant. | We nodded while singing. |
vous | dodeliniez | Vous dodeliniez pour saluer. | You nodded to greet. |
ils | dodelinaient | Ils dodelinaient en discutant. | They nodded while discussing. |
elles | dodelinaient | Elles dodelinaient en classe. | They nodded in class. |
Other Conjugations for Dodiner.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner
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Dodiner – About the French Imparfait Tense
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see our article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.
Formation of the Imparfait Tense
For regular -er verbs:
For regular -ir verbs
For regular -re verbs
Common Everyday Usage Patterns
Description of Past Habits
Background Information
Mental and Emotional States
It’s employed to express emotions, thoughts, or physical sensations in the past. For example: “J’étais content quand il est arrivé.” (I was happy when he arrived.)
Ongoing Actions
Points to Note About the Imparfait Tense
Passé Composé vs. Imparfait
Conditional
Si Clauses
Narration
I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb dodiner. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!