Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
Introduction to the verb avoyer
The English translation of the French verb “avoyer” is “to bay” or “to bray” (referring to the sound made by a dog or a donkey). The infinitive form of “avoyer” is pronounced as “ah-vwah-yay.”
The verb “avoyer” comes from the Old French word “avoier,” meaning “to cry out” or “to send forth a loud sound.” It is most commonly used in every day French in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.
Three examples of “avoyer” in the imparfait tense with their respective English translations are:
-
Chaque nuit, les chiens avoyaient dans le quartier.
Translation: Every night, the dogs were baying in the neighborhood. -
Quand j’étais petit, l’âne de mon grand-père avoyait sans cesse.
Translation: When I was little, my grandfather’s donkey was constantly braying. -
Pendant la chasse, les meutes d’hounds avoyaient dans les bois.
Translation: During the hunt, the packs of hounds were baying in the woods.
Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of avoyer
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | avoyais | J’avoyais mes lettres. | I was sending my letters. |
tu | avoyais | Tu avoyais ton courrier. | You were sending your mail. |
il | avoyait | Il avoyait ses colis. | He was sending his packages. |
elle | avoyait | Elle avoyait ses commandes. | She was sending her orders. |
on | avoyait | On avoyait nos paquets. | We were sending our packages. |
nous | avoyions | Nous avoyions nos factures. | We were sending our invoices. |
vous | avoyiez | Vous avoyiez vos messages. | You were sending your messages. |
ils | avoyaient | Ils avoyaient leurs documents. | They were sending their documents. |
elles | avoyaient | Elles avoyaient leurs lettres. | They were sending their letters. |
Other Conjugations for Avoyer.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
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Avoyer – 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 avoyer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!