Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brocher

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb brocher

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The English translation of the French verb “brocher” is “to bind” or “to stitch.” The infinitive form “brocher” is pronounced as “bro-shay.”

The verb “brocher” comes from the Old French word “brochier,” which means “to sew” or “to bind.” It is derived from the Latin word “broccus,” meaning “pointed” or “sharp.” In modern-day French, “brocher” is primarily used to refer to the action of binding or stitching together pages of a book or documents.

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

  1. Chaque semaine, je brochais les rapports de fin de mois. (Every week, I used to bind the end-of-month reports.)
  2. Quand j’étais jeune, je brochais mes propres cahiers. (When I was young, I would stitch my own notebooks.)
  3. Pendant l’événement, ils brochaient les programmes pour les participants. (During the event, they were binding the programs for the participants.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of brocher

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je brochais Je brochais le livre. I was binding the book.
tu brochais Tu brochais les documents. You were binding the documents.
il brochait Il brochait les feuilles. He was binding the sheets.
elle brochait Elle brochait les carnets. She was binding the notebooks.
on brochait On brochait les magazines. We were binding the magazines.
nous brochions Nous brochions les brochures. We were binding the brochures.
vous brochiez Vous brochiez les rapports. You were binding the reports.
ils brochaient Ils brochaient les livres. They were binding the books.
elles brochaient Elles brochaient les dossiers. They were binding the files.

Other Conjugations for Brocher.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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