Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb acérer

Get the imperfect (imparfait) tense conjugation of acérer. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb “acérer” is “sharpen” or “harden”. The infinitive form “acérer” is pronounced as “ah-seh-ray”.

The verb “acérer” originates from the Latin word “acerare” which means “to make sharp”. In everyday French, it is most often used in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past. It can also be used to express habitual actions or states in the past.

Here are three examples of “acérer” used in the imparfait tense:

  1. Chaque matin, je me promenais avec mon grand-père pour acérer son esprit.
    (Every morning, I used to take a walk with my grandfather to sharpen his mind.)

  2. Les années d’entraînement intensif l’avaient acéré comme une lame de rasoir.
    (The years of intensive training had sharpened him like a razor blade.)

  3. Mon père s’entraînait régulièrement pour acérer ses compétences en cuisine.
    (My father used to train regularly to sharpen his cooking skills.)

English translations:

  1. Every morning, I used to take a walk with my grandfather to sharpen his mind.
  2. The years of intensive training had sharpened him like a razor blade.
  3. My father used to train regularly to sharpen his cooking skills.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of acérer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je acérais J’acérais le couteau. I was sharpening the knife.
tu acérais Tu acérais tes compétences. You were sharpening your skills.
il acérait Il acérait sa vision. He was sharpening his vision.
elle acérait Elle acérait son esprit. She was sharpening her mind.
on acérait On acérait notre stratégie. We were sharpening our strategy.
nous acérions Nous acérions nos arguments. We were sharpening our arguments.
vous acériez Vous acériez votre attention. You were sharpening your focus.
ils acéraient Ils acéraient leurs outils. They were sharpening their tools.
elles acéraient Elles acéraient leurs compétences. They were sharpening their skills.

Other Conjugations for Acérer.

Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer (You’re reading it right now!)

Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acérer

Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the acérer present tense conjugation! 

Acérer – About the French Imparfait Tense

The French imparfait tense, often called the imperfect tense in English, is used to describe actions or states in the past. It’s primarily used to provide background information, set the scene, or describe habitual or ongoing actions in the past.

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

To form the imparfait tense in French, you typically take the present tense nous form of the verb, drop the -ons ending, and add specific endings based on the verb group (regular -er, -ir, -re verbs) or use irregular forms for certain verbs.  

For regular -er verbs:

Take the infinitive form (e.g., parler, finir, rendre) Remove the -er ending Add the imparfait endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient 

For regular -ir verbs

Take the infinitive form (e.g., choisir, grandir, finir) Remove the -ir ending Add the imparfait endings: -issais, -issais, -issait, -issions, -issiez, -issaient 

For regular -re verbs

Take the infinitive form (e.g., vendre, attendre, entendre) Remove the -re ending Add the imparfait endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Description of Past Habits

The imparfait is often used to describe habitual actions or situations in the past. For example: “Quand j’étais enfant, je jouais au football tous les jours.” (When I was a child, I used to play football every day.) 

Background Information

It’s used to provide background information or set the stage for a main event in the past. For instance: “Il faisait beau ce jour-là.” (The weather was nice that day.) 

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

The imparfait describes actions that were in progress or happening when something else occurred in the past. For instance: “Je lisais un livre quand le téléphone a sonné.” (I was reading a book when the phone rang.)

Points to Note About the Imparfait Tense

Passé Composé vs. Imparfait

The imparfait and passé composé (a compound past tense) are often used together to express the completion of an action in the past (passé composé) and provide context or background (imparfait). For example: “Il regardait la télévision quand son ami est arrivé.” (He was watching TV when his friend arrived.) 

Conditional

The imparfait is used as the base for forming the conditional mood in French. For instance, “Je mangerais” (I would eat) is formed from “je mangeais” (I was eating). 

Si Clauses

In hypothetical or “if” clauses (si clauses), the imparfait is often used to express a condition in the past. For example: “Si j’avais de l’argent, j’achèterais une nouvelle voiture.” (If I had money, I would buy a new car.) 

Narration

In storytelling or writing, the imparfait is frequently used to set the scene and describe ongoing actions while the passé composé is used for specific events or actions that interrupted the ongoing ones.
Understanding the French imperfect tense is crucial for effective communication in French. Without it, your conversations will always live in the present!

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb acérer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply