Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brêler

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb brêler

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The English translation of the French verb “brêler” is “to burn” or “to scorch”. The infinitive form of “brêler” is pronounced as “breh-lay”.

“Brêler” originated from the Old French word “braisler” which meant “to burn”. It is most often used in everyday French in the imparfait tense, which is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past.

Three simple examples of its usage in the imparfait tense, with their respective English translations, are:

  1. Chaque été, le soleil brêlait les champs. (Every summer, the sun would scorch the fields.)
  2. Quand j’étais enfant, je me brêlais souvent avec la vapeur de la bouilloire. (When I was a child, I would often burn myself with the steam from the kettle.)
  3. Les bougies brêlaient doucement dans la pièce sombre. (The candles were burning softly in the dark room.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of brêler

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je brêlais Je brêlais les feuilles. I was burning the leaves.
tu brêlais Tu brêlais le bois. You were burning the wood.
il brêlait Il brêlait la paille. He was burning the straw.
elle brêlait Elle brêlait les branches. She was burning the branches.
on brêlait On brêlait les déchets. We were burning the waste.
nous brêlions Nous brêlions le papier. We were burning the paper.
vous brêliez Vous brêliez les herbes. You were burning the herbs.
ils brêlaient Ils brêlaient les bûches. They were burning the logs.
elles brêlaient Elles brêlaient les bâtons. They were burning the sticks.

Other Conjugations for Brêler.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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