Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb annihiler

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb annihiler

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The English translation of the French verb “annihiler” is “to annihilate” or “to obliterate.” The infinitive form “annihiler” is pronounced as ah-nee-ee-leh.

The verb “annihiler” originates from the Latin word “annihilare,” which means “to reduce to nothing.” In everyday French, it is commonly used in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past.

Here are three simple examples of using “annihiler” in the imparfait tense, with their English translations:

  1. Nous annihilions les obstacles qui se dressaient devant nous.
    (We were annihilating the obstacles that stood in our way.)

  2. Le temps pluvieux annihilait nos projets de pique-nique.
    (The rainy weather was obliterating our picnic plans.)

  3. Il annihilait nos espoirs en nous critiquant constamment.
    (He was annihilating our hopes by constantly criticizing us.)

In these examples, the imparfait tense indicates the ongoing or repeated nature of the action of “annihiler” in the past.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of annihiler

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je annihilais J’annihilais mes ennemis. I was annihilating my enemies.
tu annihilais Tu annihilais tes doutes. You were annihilating your doubts.
il annihilait Il annihilait ses adversaires. He was annihilating his opponents.
elle annihilait Elle annihilait toute opposition. She was annihilating all opposition.
on annihilait On annihilait la concurrence. We were annihilating the competition.
nous annihilions Nous annihilions nos peurs. We were annihilating our fears.
vous annihiliez Vous annihiliez toute résistance. You were annihilating all resistance.
ils annihilait Ils annihilait l’ennemi. They were annihilating the enemy.
elles annihilait Elles annihilait leurs rivaux. They were annihilating their rivals.

Other Conjugations for Annihiler.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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