Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
Introduction to the verb balayer
The English translation of the French verb “balayer” is “to sweep.” The infinitive form “balayer” is pronounced as “bah-leh-yay.”
The word “balayer” originated from the Old French word “balaier,” which derived from the Latin “pellere” meaning “to push, drive away.” In everyday French, “balayer” is commonly used in the imperfect tense (imparfait) to indicate ongoing or repeated actions in the past.
Here are three examples of “balayer” in the imparfait tense, along with their respective English translations:
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Je balayais la cuisine tous les jours.
(I used to sweep the kitchen every day.) -
Tu balayais les feuilles dans le jardin.
(You were sweeping the leaves in the garden.) -
Il balayait la rue pendant des heures.
(He was sweeping the street for hours.)
In these examples, the imparfait tense is used to describe past actions that were habitual or ongoing.
Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of balayer
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | balayais | Je balayais la cuisine. | I was sweeping the kitchen. |
tu | balayais | Tu balayais la terrasse. | You were sweeping the terrace. |
il | balayait | Il balayait le sol. | He was sweeping the floor. |
elle | balayait | Elle balayait les feuilles. | She was sweeping the leaves. |
on | balayait | On balayait la cour. | We were sweeping the courtyard. |
nous | balayions | Nous balayions la chambre. | We were sweeping the bedroom. |
vous | balayiez | Vous balayiez le salon. | You were sweeping the living room. |
ils | balayaient | Ils balayaient la rue. | They were sweeping the street. |
elles | balayaient | Elles balayaient le trottoir. | They were sweeping the sidewalk. |
Other Conjugations for Balayer.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balayer
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Balayer – 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 balayer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!