Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
Introduction to the verb assimiler
The English translation of the French verb “assimiler” is “to assimilate.” The infinitive form of “assimiler” is pronounced as ah-see-mee-lay.
The verb “assimiler” comes from the Latin word “assimilare,” which means “to make similar.” It entered the French language in the 16th century and is derived from the Latin prefix “ad-” (meaning “to”) and the Latin word “similis” (meaning “similar”).
In everyday French, the verb “assimiler” is often used in the imparfait tense 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:
-
Quand j’étais enfant, j’assimilais rapidement les nouvelles informations à l’école.
(When I was a child, I would quickly assimilate new information at school.) -
Nous passions des heures à assimiler les règles compliquées du jeu.
(We would spend hours assimilating the complicated rules of the game.) -
Vous assimiliez bien la prononciation du français grâce à votre professeur.
(You were assimilating the French pronunciation well thanks to your teacher.)
In these examples, the imparfait tense reflects actions that were ongoing or repeated in the past, conveying the idea of continuous assimilation or learning.
Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of assimiler
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | assimilais | J’assimilais rapidement. | I was assimilating quickly. |
tu | assimilais | Tu assimilais bien. | You were assimilating well. |
il | assimilait | Il assimilait les informations. | He was assimilating the information. |
elle | assimilait | Elle assimilait les règles. | She was assimilating the rules. |
on | assimilait | On assimilait tout. | We were assimilating everything. |
nous | assimilions | Nous assimilions les concepts. | We were assimilating the concepts. |
vous | assimiliez | Vous assimiliez le vocabulaire. | You were assimilating the vocabulary. |
ils | assimilaient | Ils assimilaient les techniques. | They were assimilating the techniques. |
elles | assimilaient | Elles assimilaient les leçons. | They were assimilating the lessons. |
Other Conjugations for Assimiler.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
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Assimiler – About the French Imparfait Tense
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
For regular -er verbs:
For regular -ir verbs
For regular -re verbs
Common Everyday Usage Patterns
Description of Past Habits
Background Information
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
Points to Note About the Imparfait Tense
Passé Composé vs. Imparfait
Conditional
Si Clauses
Narration
I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb assimiler. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!