Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
Introduction to the verb butter
The English translation of the French verb “butter” is “to spread” or “to butter.” The infinitive form of the verb “butter” in French is “beurrer.” It is pronounced as “bur-ray.”
The word “butter” in French, as well as its verb form “beurrer,” originates from the Old French word “burre,” which ultimately comes from the Latin word “butyrum.”
In everyday French, the imparfait tense is commonly used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. Here are three simple examples of the verb “beurrer” in the imparfait tense:
- Chaque matin, je beurrais ma tartine de confiture. (Every morning, I would spread jam on my toast.)
- Quand j’étais jeune, ma grand-mère beurrait toujours les crêpes. (When I was young, my grandmother would always butter the pancakes.)
- Pendant les vacances, nous beurrions nos croissants avant de les déguster. (During the holidays, we would butter our croissants before enjoying them.)
English Translations:
- Every morning, I would spread jam on my toast.
- When I was young, my grandmother would always butter the pancakes.
- During the holidays, we would butter our croissants before enjoying them.
Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of butter
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | beurtais | Je beurtais ma tartine. | I was buttering my bread. |
tu | beurtais | Tu beurtais tes crêpes. | You were buttering your pancakes. |
il | beurtait | Il beurtait le pain. | He was buttering the bread. |
elle | beurtait | Elle beurtait sa tartine. | She was buttering her bread. |
on | beurtait | On beurtait les croissants. | We were buttering the croissants. |
nous | beurtions | Nous beurtions nos toasts. | We were buttering our toasts. |
vous | beurtiez | Vous beurtiez vos biscottes. | You were buttering your rusks. |
ils | beurtaient | Ils beurtaient les baguettes. | They were buttering the baguettes. |
elles | beurtaient | Elles beurtaient les brioches. | They were buttering the brioches. |
Other Conjugations for Butter.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb butter
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
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Butter – 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 butter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!