Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cerner

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cerner

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The English translation of the French verb cerner is “to surround” or “to encircle.” The infinitive form of cerner is pronounced as “ser-nay.”

The word cerner comes from the Latin word “cernere,” which means “to sift” or “to separate.” In everyday French, cerner is commonly used in the imparfait tense to describe an ongoing or repeated action in the past.

Here are three simple examples of cerner in the imparfait tense:

  1. Chaque soir, je cernais la maison avec des lumières. (Every evening, I would surround the house with lights.)
  2. Pendant notre promenade, nous cernions le lac en admirant la nature. (During our walk, we would encircle the lake while admiring nature.)
  3. Ils cernaient le parc pour empêcher les intrusions. (They were surrounding the park to prevent intrusions.)

English translations:

  1. Every evening, I would surround the house with lights.
  2. During our walk, we would encircle the lake while admiring nature.
  3. They were surrounding the park to prevent intrusions.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of cerner

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je cernais Je cernais le problème. I was surrounding the problem.
tu cernais Tu cernais son intention. You were understanding his intention.
il cernait Il cernait la situation. He was grasping the situation.
elle cernait Elle cernait le sens de l’œuvre. She was comprehending the meaning of the work.
on cernait On cernait la vérité. We were getting to the truth.
nous cernions Nous cernions les contours du projet. We were outlining the project.
vous cerniez Vous cerniez les limites de la discussion. You were defining the boundaries of the discussion.
ils cernaient Ils cernaient les enjeux. They were grasping the stakes.
elles cernaient Elles cernaient la problématique. They were understanding the issue.

Other Conjugations for Cerner.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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