Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
Introduction to the verb contracter
The English translation of the French verb “contracter” is “to contract” or “to acquire.” The infinitive form of “contracter” is pronounced as “kon-trak-tey.”
The French verb “contracter” comes from the Latin word “contractare,” which means “to draw together” or “to bring closer.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the imparfait tense to express habitual or ongoing actions in the past.
Here are three examples of “contracter” in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:
-
Je contractais souvent des rhumes quand j’étais jeune.
(I used to frequently contract colds when I was young.) -
Nous contractions des dettes chaque mois à cause de nos dépenses excessives.
(We used to contract debts every month due to our excessive spending.) -
Vous contractiez des mauvaises habitudes à force de côtoyer de mauvaises fréquentations.
(You used to acquire bad habits by hanging out with bad influences.)
In these examples, “contracter” is used to describe the regular occurrence of certain actions or the acquisition of something over a period of time in the past.
Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of contracter
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | contractais | Je contractais des dettes. | I was contracting debts. |
tu | contractais | Tu contractais une maladie. | You were contracting an illness. |
il | contractait | Il contractait ses muscles. | He was contracting his muscles. |
elle | contractait | Elle contractait son visage. | She was contracting her face. |
on | contractait | On contractait un engagement. | We were contracting a commitment. |
nous | contractions | Nous contractions un prêt. | We were contracting a loan. |
vous | contractiez | Vous contractiez un contrat. | You were contracting a contract. |
ils | contractaient | Ils contractaient la grippe. | They were contracting the flu. |
elles | contractaient | Elles contractaient un partenariat. | They were contracting a partnership. |
Other Conjugations for Contracter.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
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Contracter – 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 contracter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!