Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affouiller

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affouiller

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The English translation of the French verb “affouiller” is “to fray” or “to ravel.” The infinitive form, “affouiller,” is pronounced as ah-foo-yay.

The word “affouiller” has its origin in the Old French word “fouiller,” which means “to rummage” or “to search.” Over time, the prefix “af-” was added to create “affouiller,” which specifically refers to the action of fraying or unraveling threads or fibers.

In everyday French, “affouiller” is most commonly used in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past. Here are three examples of its usage in the imparfait tense:

  1. Je l’affouillais tous les jours pour obtenir des fils plus fins.
    (I used to fray it every day to obtain finer threads.)

  2. Pendant la réparation, il affouillait les bords du tissu pour l’ajuster parfaitement.
    (During the repair, he was fraying the edges of the fabric to fit it perfectly.)

  3. Quand j’étais petite, je m’amusais à affouiller les extrémités des lacets.
    (When I was little, I used to have fun fraying the ends of shoelaces.)

English translations:

  1. I used to fray it every day to obtain finer threads.
  2. During the repair, he was fraying the edges of the fabric to fit it perfectly.
  3. When I was little, I used to have fun fraying the ends of shoelaces.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of affouiller

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je affouillais J’affouillais le sol. I was digging the ground.
tu affouillais Tu affouillais le jardin. You were digging the garden.
il affouillait Il affouillait le trou. He was digging the hole.
elle affouillait Elle affouillait la terre. She was digging the soil.
on affouillait On affouillait la pelouse. We were digging the lawn.
nous affouillions Nous affouillions les plantes. We were digging the plants.
vous affouilliez Vous affouilliez le sable. You were digging the sand.
ils affouillaient Ils affouillaient la roche. They were digging the rock.
elles affouillaient Elles affouillaient le chemin. They were digging the path.

Other Conjugations for Affouiller.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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