Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cafter

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cafter

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The English translation of the French verb “cafter” is “to snitch” or “to inform on.” The infinitive form “cafter” is pronounced as “kahf-teh.”

The word “cafter” originated from the French argot (slang) and is derived from the word “cafard,” which means “cockroach” or “informant.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the act of reporting someone’s misbehavior or revealing their secrets to an authority or another person.

Here are three examples of how “cafter” is used in the imparfait tense, along with their respective English translations:

  1. Quand j’étais enfant, je cafteais toujours mes frères et sœurs à mes parents.
    (When I was a child, I would always snitch on my brothers and sisters to my parents.)

  2. Elle cafait sur ses collègues pour obtenir une promotion.
    (She used to inform on her colleagues to get a promotion.)

  3. Nous cafions nos amis pour éviter d’être punis.
    (We used to snitch on our friends to avoid being punished.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of cafter

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je cafetais Je cafetais sur mes collègues. I used to gossip about my colleagues.
tu cafetais Tu cafetais beaucoup. You used to gossip a lot.
il cafetait Il cafetait tout le temps. He used to gossip all the time.
elle cafetait Elle cafetait sur ses amis. She used to gossip about her friends.
on cafetait On cafetait sans arrêt. We used to gossip non-stop.
nous cafetions Nous cafetions ensemble. We used to gossip together.
vous cafetiez Vous cafetiez à voix basse. You used to gossip in a low voice.
ils cafetaient Ils cafetaient entre eux. They used to gossip amongst themselves.
elles cafetaient Elles cafetaient sans cesse. They used to gossip incessantly.

Other Conjugations for Cafter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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