Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb arriver

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb arriver

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The English translation of the French verb “arriver” is “to arrive.” The infinitive form of “arriver” is pronounced as ah-ree-vay.

The word “arriver” comes from the Latin verb “arripare,” which means “to reach the shore” or “to come to land.” In everyday French, “arriver” is used primarily to indicate the action of reaching a destination or arriving at a place.

In the imparfait tense, “arriver” is commonly used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past. Here are three examples of its usage in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Chaque jour, j’arrivais à l’école à pied. (Every day, I used to walk to school.)
  2. Pendant les vacances, nous arrivions toujours en retard à la plage. (During the holidays, we always used to arrive late at the beach.)
  3. Elle m’appelait dès qu’elle arrivait chez elle. (She used to call me as soon as she arrived home.)

In these examples, the verb “arriver” is used to express habitual actions or events that occurred repeatedly in the past.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of arriver

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je arrivais J’arrivais en retard. I was arriving late.
tu arrivais Tu arrivais en avance. You were arriving early.
il arrivait Il arrivait souvent en retard. He was arriving late often.
elle arrivait Elle arrivait toujours à l’heure. She was always arriving on time.
on arrivait On arrivait en groupe. We were arriving in a group.
nous arrivions Nous arrivions en train. We were arriving by train.
vous arriviez Vous arriviez en voiture. You were arriving by car.
ils arrivaient Ils arrivaient tard. They were arriving late.
elles arrivaient Elles arrivaient tôt. They were arriving early.

Other Conjugations for Arriver.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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