Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affamer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affamer

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The English translation of the French verb “affamer” is “to starve.” The infinitive form “affamer” is pronounced as ah-fah-meh.

“Affamer” is derived from the Old French word “afamer,” which ultimately comes from the Latin word “affamare,” meaning “to starve.” It is used in everyday French to describe the action of depriving someone or something of food or causing extreme hunger.

In the imparfait tense, “affamer” is often used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. Here are three examples of its usage in the imparfait tense:

  1. Quand j’étais petit, mes parents m’affamaient pour me faire manger mes légumes.
    Translation: When I was little, my parents used to starve me to make me eat my vegetables.

  2. Pendant la guerre, les habitants étaient affamés à cause du manque de nourriture.
    Translation: During the war, the inhabitants were starving due to the lack of food.

  3. Les fermiers affamaient les animaux pour les revendre plus rapidement.
    Translation: The farmers used to starve the animals to sell them more quickly.

Note: The translations provided here are not literal translations, but rather convey the meaning of the sentences in English.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of affamer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je affamais J’affamais les animaux. I was starving the animals.
tu affamais Tu affamais ton frère. You were starving your brother.
il affamait Il affamait les prisonniers. He was starving the prisoners.
elle affamait Elle affamait son chien. She was starving her dog.
on affamait On affamait les pauvres. We were starving the poor.
nous affamions Nous affamions nos ennemis. We were starving our enemies.
vous affamiez Vous affamiez les oiseaux. You were starving the birds.
ils affamaient Ils affamaient les villageois. They were starving the villagers.
elles affamaient Elles affamaient les enfants. They were starving the children.

Other Conjugations for Affamer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Affamer – 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 affamer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!

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