Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb caporaliser

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb caporaliser

Get the imperfect (imparfait) tense conjugation of caporaliser. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb “caporaliser” is “to promote someone to corporal.” The infinitive form of “caporaliser” is pronounced as “kah-po-rah-lee-zay.”

The verb “caporaliser” is derived from the French noun “caporal,” meaning “corporal.” It is most often used in everyday French in the imparfait tense to describe the action of promoting someone to the rank of corporal in a military context.

Here are three simple examples of “caporaliser” in the imparfait tense and their respective English translations:

  1. Pendant la guerre, le lieutenant caporalisait régulièrement des soldats courageux. (During the war, the lieutenant would regularly promote brave soldiers to corporal.)
  2. Ils caporalisaient les recrues qui avaient fait preuve d’excellentes compétences en combat. (They would promote recruits who had shown excellent combat skills to corporal.)
  3. Mon grand-père me racontait comment il a été caporalisé après avoir accompli une mission périlleuse. (My grandfather used to tell me how he was promoted to corporal after completing a dangerous mission.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of caporaliser

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je caporalisais Je caporalisais les soldats. I was corporalizing the soldiers.
tu caporalisais Tu caporalisais les recrues. You were corporalizing the recruits.
il caporalisait Il caporalisait les nouvelles recrues. He was corporalizing the new recruits.
elle caporalisait Elle caporalisait les volontaires. She was corporalizing the volunteers.
on caporalisait On caporalisait les membres du groupe. We were corporalizing the group members.
nous caporalisions Nous caporalisions les équipes. We were corporalizing the teams.
vous caporalisiez Vous caporalisiez les soldats. You were corporalizing the soldiers.
ils caporalisaient Ils caporalisaient les soldats. They were corporalizing the soldiers.
elles caporalisaient Elles caporalisaient les recrues. They were corporalizing the recruits.

Other Conjugations for Caporaliser.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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