Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb annuler

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb annuler

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The English translation of the French verb “annuler” is “to cancel” or “to annul”. The infinitive form “annuler” is pronounced as ahn-yuh-leh.

The verb “annuler” comes from the Latin word “annullare”, which means “to nullify” or “to invalidate”. It is most often used in everyday French to refer to the act of canceling something or making it void. This can apply to various contexts such as canceling an event, an appointment, or an order.

Examples of “annuler” in the imparfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Je l’annulais chaque année.
    (I used to cancel it every year.)

  2. Nous annulions nos vacances à cause de la météo.
    (We used to cancel our vacations because of the weather.)

  3. Vous annuliez régulièrement vos réservations.
    (You used to regularly cancel your reservations.)

Please note that these translations are approximate and may vary depending on the context.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of annuler

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je annulais J’annulais la réservation. I was canceling the reservation.
tu annulais Tu annulais le vol. You were canceling the flight.
il annulait Il annulait le concert. He was canceling the concert.
elle annulait Elle annulait la réunion. She was canceling the meeting.
on annulait On annulait l’événement. We were canceling the event.
nous annulions Nous annulions nos plans. We were canceling our plans.
vous annuliez Vous annuliez la commande. You were canceling the order.
ils annulaient Ils annulaient la réservation. They were canceling the reservation.
elles annulaient Elles annulaient le spectacle. They were canceling the show.

Other Conjugations for Annuler.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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