Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb caviarder

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb caviarder

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The English translation of the French verb “caviarder” is “to censor” or “to black out.” The infinitive form “caviarder” is pronounced as [ka.vjaʁ.de].

The word “caviarder” originated from the noun “caviar,” which refers to the salty delicacy made from fish eggs. In the 19th century, “caviar” was used as a metaphor for small black ink spots that were used to censor or obscure certain parts of a text. Over time, the verb “caviarder” came to represent the act of censoring or blacking out text.

In everyday French, “caviarder” is primarily used in the imparfait tense to describe past actions or habits of censoring. Here are three simple examples of its usage in the imparfait tense:

  1. Quand j’étais étudiant, je caviardais toujours les parties difficiles de mes livres. (When I was a student, I would always censor the difficult parts of my books.)
  2. Mon père caviardait les articles politiques avant de les lire à haute voix. (My father used to censor the political articles before reading them aloud.)
  3. Les journaux de l’époque caviardaient souvent les informations sensibles. (Newspapers at that time would often censor sensitive information.)

English translations:

  1. When I was a student, I would always censor the difficult parts of my books.
  2. My father used to censor the political articles before reading them aloud.
  3. Newspapers at that time would often censor sensitive information.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of caviarder

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je caviardais Je caviardais les documents. I was censoring the documents.
tu caviardais Tu caviardais les articles. You were censoring the articles.
il caviardait Il caviardait les rapports. He was censoring the reports.
elle caviardait Elle caviardait les lettres. She was censoring the letters.
on caviardait On caviardait les textes. We were censoring the texts.
nous caviardions Nous caviardions les dossiers. We were censoring the files.
vous caviardiez Vous caviardiez les journaux. You were censoring the newspapers.
ils caviardaient Ils caviardaient les manuscrits. They were censoring the manuscripts.
elles caviardaient Elles caviardaient les magazines. They were censoring the magazines.

Other Conjugations for Caviarder.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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