Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appuyer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb appuyer

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The English translation of the French verb appuyer is “to press” or “to lean on.” The infinitive form of appuyer is pronounced as “a-pwe-yay.”

Appuyer comes from the Old French word “apoier,” which comes from the Latin word “adpodiare.” It is derived from the combination of the prefix “ad,” meaning “to,” and “podiare,” meaning “to put one’s foot.” In everyday French, appuyer is commonly used to express the action of applying pressure or leaning on something.

Here are three examples of appuyer in the imparfait tense:

  1. Je m’appuyais contre le mur. (I was leaning against the wall.)
  2. Tu appuyais sur le bouton. (You were pressing the button.)
  3. Il/Elle s’appuyait sur le bureau. (He/She was leaning on the desk.)

Note: The pronouns used in the examples can be changed based on the subject of the sentence, and the past continuous tense is used in English to convey the imparfait tense in French.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of appuyer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je appuyais J’appuyais sur le bouton. I was pressing the button.
tu appuyais Tu appuyais sur le mur. You were leaning against the wall.
il appuyait Il appuyait sur le frein. He was pressing the brake.
elle appuyait Elle appuyait sur le livre. She was pressing on the book.
on appuyait On appuyait sur le bouton d’arrêt. We were pressing the stop button.
nous appuyions Nous appuyions sur le levier. We were pressing the lever.
vous appuyiez Vous appuyiez sur le buzzer. You were pressing the buzzer.
ils appuyaient Ils appuyaient sur la porte. They were pressing the door.
elles appuyaient Elles appuyaient sur le bouton rouge. They were pressing the red button.

Other Conjugations for Appuyer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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