Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb carbonater

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb carbonater

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The English translation of the French verb “carbonater” is “to carbonate.” The infinitive form “carbonater” is pronounced as “kar-bo-na-teh.”

“Carbonater” comes from the Latin word “carbo” meaning “coal” or “charcoal,” which later evolved to “carbonis” meaning “carbon.” The suffix “-ater” in French indicates the action of transforming into or adding a particular substance. In everyday French, “carbonater” is commonly used in the imparfait tense to describe actions or states that were ongoing or repeated in the past.

Here are three examples of the usage of “carbonater” in the imparfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Je carbonatais les boissons gazeuses pour la fête.
    (I used to carbonate soft drinks for the party.)
  2. Tu carbonatais ton eau pétillante chaque matin.
    (You used to carbonate your sparkling water every morning.)
  3. Nous carbonations nos limonades avant de les servir.
    (We used to carbonate our lemonades before serving them.)

In all these examples, “carbonater” is used to express the ongoing or habitual action of carbonating beverages or drinks.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of carbonater

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je carbonatais Je carbonatais l’eau. I was carbonating the water.
tu carbonatais Tu carbonatais le soda. You were carbonating the soda.
il carbonatait Il carbonatait la boisson. He was carbonating the drink.
elle carbonatait Elle carbonatait le jus. She was carbonating the juice.
on carbonatait On carbonatait les boissons. We were carbonating the drinks.
nous carbonations Nous carbonations tous les jours. We were carbonating every day.
vous carbonatiez Vous carbonatiez les boissons gazeuses. You were carbonating the fizzy drinks.
ils carbonataient Ils carbonataient les sodas. They were carbonating the sodas.
elles carbonataient Elles carbonataient les eaux pétillantes. They were carbonating the sparkling waters.

Other Conjugations for Carbonater.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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