Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
Introduction to the verb béer
The English translation of the French verb “béer” is “to gape” or “to stare open-mouthed.” The infinitive form of “béer” is pronounced as [be-e].
The word “béer” comes from the Old French verb “beier,” meaning “to drink.” Over time, its meaning evolved to refer to the action of opening one’s mouth wide in surprise or astonishment. In everyday French, “béer” is most often used in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.
Here are three examples of “béer” used in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:
- Chaque fois que je passais devant ce magicien de rue, je béais. (Every time I passed by that street magician, I would gape.)
- Les enfants béaient devant les feux d’artifice avec des étoiles dans les yeux. (The children would stare open-mouthed at the fireworks, their eyes full of stars.)
- Quand il a commencé à raconter son histoire, tout le monde a commencé à bâiller, mais moi je béais d’étonnement. (When he started telling his story, everyone began to yawn, but I was gaping in astonishment.)
Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of béer
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | béais | Je béais devant le spectacle. | I was gaping at the show. |
tu | béais | Tu béais d’étonnement. | You were gaping in astonishment. |
il | béait | Il béait d’admiration. | He was gaping in admiration. |
elle | béait | Elle béait de surprise. | She was gaping in surprise. |
on | béait | On béait devant la beauté du paysage. | We were gaping at the beauty of the landscape. |
nous | béions | Nous béions de fatigue. | We were gaping from tiredness. |
vous | béiez | Vous béiez devant le film. | You were gaping at the movie. |
ils | béaient | Ils béaient d’incrédulité. | They were gaping in disbelief. |
elles | béaient | Elles béaient devant les cadeaux. | They were gaping at the gifts. |
Other Conjugations for Béer.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb béer
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béer
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Béer – 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 béer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!