Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cartoucher

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cartoucher

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The English translation of the French verb “cartoucher” is “to load cartridges.” The infinitive form “cartoucher” is pronounced as “kar-too-shey.”

The verb “cartoucher” comes from the word “cartouche,” which originally referred to a roll of paper used for packaging cartridges. In everyday French, “cartoucher” is most often used in the imparfait tense to describe a continuous or repeated action in the past.

Here are three examples of “cartoucher” used in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Je cartouchais mon fusil tous les matins.
    (I used to load cartridges into my rifle every morning.)

  2. Pendant la guerre, les soldats cartouchaient leurs armes régulièrement.
    (During the war, the soldiers would load their weapons regularly.)

  3. Nous cartouchions les pistolets avant chaque entraînement.
    (We used to load the pistols before every training session.)

Note: The English translations provided are approximate, as the imparfait tense does not have a direct equivalent in English.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of cartoucher

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je cartouchais Je cartouchais mon fusil. I was loading my gun.
tu cartouchais Tu cartouchais ton arme. You were loading your weapon.
il cartouchait Il cartouchait son pistolet. He was loading his pistol.
elle cartouchait Elle cartouchait son fusil de chasse. She was loading her hunting rifle.
on cartouchait On cartouchait nos armes. We were loading our weapons.
nous cartouchions Nous cartouchions nos carabines. We were loading our rifles.
vous cartouchiez Vous cartouchiez vos fusils. You were loading your guns.
ils cartouchaient Ils cartouchaient leurs revolvers. They were loading their revolvers.
elles cartouchaient Elles cartouchaient leurs fusils automatiques. They were loading their automatic rifles.

Other Conjugations for Cartoucher.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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