Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bassiner

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bassiner

Get the imperfect (imparfait) tense conjugation of bassiner. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb “bassiner” is “to annoy” or “to bother”. The infinitive form “bassiner” is pronounced as bah-see-nay.

The verb “bassiner” comes from the noun “bassine”, which means “basin” or “washbowl”. In everyday French, “bassiner” is commonly used in the imparfait tense to express annoyance or the action of continuously bothering someone.

Here are three examples of “bassiner” used in the imparfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Les enfants me bassinaient avec leurs questions incessantes.
    (The children used to annoy me with their never-ending questions.)

  2. Ma collègue me bassinait toujours avec ses problèmes personnels.
    (My colleague would always bother me with her personal problems.)

  3. Mon petit frère me bassinait en me suivant partout où j’allais.
    (My little brother used to bother me by following me everywhere I went.)

In these examples, the verb “bassiner” describes repeated or continuous annoying actions in the past.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of bassiner

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je bassinais Je bassinais mes amis avec mes histoires. I used to bore my friends with my stories.
tu bassinais Tu bassinais ta sœur avec tes questions. You used to annoy your sister with your questions.
il bassinait Il bassinait ses collègues avec ses opinions politiques. He used to bother his colleagues with his political opinions.
elle bassinait Elle bassinait son frère avec ses demandes. She used to pester her brother with her requests.
on bassinait On bassinait nos voisins avec notre musique. We used to annoy our neighbors with our music.
nous bassinions Nous bassinions nos parents avec nos caprices. We used to nag our parents with our whims.
vous bassiniez Vous bassiniez vos amis avec vos problèmes. You used to bore your friends with your problems.
ils bassinaient Ils bassinaient leurs collègues avec leurs blagues. They used to bother their colleagues with their jokes.
elles bassinaient Elles bassinaient leurs parents avec leurs demandes. They used to pester their parents with their requests.

Other Conjugations for Bassiner.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the bassiner imparfait tense conjugation! 

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply