Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brifer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb brifer

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The English translation of the French verb “brifer” is “to brief.” The infinitive form “brifer” is pronounced as “bree-fey.”

“Brifer” is derived from the Old French word “brief,” which means “letter” or “written message.” In everyday French, “brifer” is commonly used in the imparfait tense to indicate a habitual or ongoing action in the past.

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

  1. Chaque matin, je brifais mes collègues sur les derniers développements du projet. (Every morning, I would brief my colleagues on the latest project developments.)
  2. Pendant mes années universitaires, mon professeur brifait régulièrement la classe sur les théories économiques. (During my university years, my professor would regularly brief the class on economic theories.)
  3. Quand il était président de la société, il brifait toujours son équipe avant les réunions importantes. (When he was the company president, he would always brief his team before important meetings.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of brifer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je brifais Je brifais mon équipe. I was briefing my team.
tu brifais Tu brifais les participants. You were briefing the participants.
il brifait Il brifait le groupe. He was briefing the group.
elle brifait Elle brifait l’équipe adverse. She was briefing the opposing team.
on brifait On brifait les nouvelles recrues. We were briefing the new recruits.
nous brifions Nous brifions nos collègues. We were briefing our colleagues.
vous brifiez Vous brifiez les clients. You were briefing the clients.
ils brifaient Ils brifaient les employés. They were briefing the employees.
elles brifaient Elles brifaient les étudiants. They were briefing the students.

Other Conjugations for Brifer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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