Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb américaniser

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb américaniser

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The English translation of the French verb “américaniser” is “to Americanize.” The infinitive form of “américaniser” is pronounced as [a.me.ʁi.ka.ni.ze].

The verb “américaniser” is derived from the noun “Américain” (American) and the suffix “-iser” (which is used to indicate the action of making something or someone like or similar to the root word). It is used to describe the process of adopting or incorporating American customs, culture, or characteristics.

In everyday French, “américaniser” in the imparfait tense is typically used to express ongoing or repeated actions in the past. It can also describe a continuous process of Americanization.

Here are three examples of “américaniser” in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Quand j’étais jeune, ma mère essayait de m’américaniser en me faisant regarder des films hollywoodiens. (When I was young, my mother tried to Americanize me by making me watch Hollywood movies.)
  2. La ville s’américanisait rapidement avec l’ouverture de plusieurs fast-foods et l’adoption de la culture du shopping. (The city was becoming Americanized rapidly with the opening of several fast-food restaurants and the adoption of the shopping culture.)
  3. Mes cousins ont vécu aux États-Unis pendant dix ans et se sont progressivement américanisés au cours de cette période. (My cousins lived in the United States for ten years and gradually became Americanized during that time.)

These sentences illustrate the use of “américaniser” in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing actions or states in the past.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of américaniser

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je américanisais J’américanisais ma cuisine. I was Americanizing my kitchen.
tu américanisais Tu américanisais ta tenue. You were Americanizing your outfit.
il américanisait Il américanisait son entreprise. He was Americanizing his business.
elle américanisait Elle américanisait sa musique. She was Americanizing her music.
on américanisait On américanisait les habitudes alimentaires. We were Americanizing eating habits.
nous américanisions Nous américanisions notre maison. We were Americanizing our house.
vous américanisiez Vous américanisiez votre langage. You were Americanizing your language.
ils américanisaient Ils américanisaient leur culture. They were Americanizing their culture.
elles américanisaient Elles américanisaient leurs vêtements. They were Americanizing their clothes.

Other Conjugations for Américaniser.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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