Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb autographier

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb autographier

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The English translation of the French verb “autographier” is “to autograph.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form “autographier” is [o-to-gra-fi-e].

The verb “autographier” comes from the French word “autographe” (autograph) and the suffix “-ier” used to form verbs. It is most often used in everyday French to refer to the act of signing or writing one’s signature on something, usually an object or a document.

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

  1. Chaque soir, il autographiait des livres pour ses fans.
    (Every evening, he used to autograph books for his fans.)

  2. Quand j’étais enfant, j’autographiais mes dessins avant de les offrir.
    (When I was a child, I used to autograph my drawings before giving them away.)

  3. Pendant le festival, les acteurs autographiaient des photos pour leurs admirateurs.
    (During the festival, the actors used to autograph photos for their fans.)

Note: The imparfait tense is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of autographier

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je autographiais J’autographiais les livres. I used to autograph the books.
tu autographiais Tu autographiais les photos. You used to autograph the photos.
il autographiait Il autographiait son nom. He used to autograph his name.
elle autographiait Elle autographiait les affiches. She used to autograph the posters.
on autographiait On autographiait les souvenirs. We used to autograph the souvenirs.
nous autographiions Nous autographiions les albums. We used to autograph the albums.
vous autographiiez Vous autographiiez les billets. You used to autograph the tickets.
ils autographiaient Ils autographiaient les cartes. They used to autograph the cards.
elles autographiaient Elles autographiaient les autographes. They used to autograph the autographs.

Other Conjugations for Autographier.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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