Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb annoter

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb annoter

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The English translation of the French verb “annoter” is “to annotate.” The infinitive form of “annoter” is pronounced as “a-no-te.”

The word “annoter” originated from the Latin word “annotare,” which means “to note” or “to annotate.” In everyday French, “annoter” is commonly used in the imparfait tense to indicate an ongoing or repeated action in the past. It is often used to describe the act of marking or making notes on a document or text.

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

  1. Chaque semaine, j’annotais mes cours de français.
    (Every week, I would annotate my French notes.)

  2. Pendant mes études, j’annotais les livres pour mieux comprendre mes lectures.
    (During my studies, I used to annotate books to better understand my readings.)

  3. Ils annotaient les documents importants avant de les archiver.
    (They would annotate important documents before filing them.)

In these examples, the imparfait tense is used to describe a habitual or repeated action of annotating. The use of “annoter” in the imparfait tense allows for the expression of past actions that were ongoing or habitual in nature.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of annoter

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je annotais J’annotais mes notes. I was annotating my notes.
tu annotais Tu annotais les livres. You were annotating the books.
il annotait Il annotait les documents. He was annotating the documents.
elle annotait Elle annotait ses devoirs. She was annotating her homework.
on annotait On annotait les articles. We were annotating the articles.
nous annotions Nous annotions nos fiches. We were annotating our flashcards.
vous annotiez Vous annotiez les passages importants. You were annotating the important passages.
ils annotaient Ils annotaient les textes. They were annotating the texts.
elles annotaient Elles annotaient les illustrations. They were annotating the illustrations.

Other Conjugations for Annoter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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