Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chapeauter

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chapeauter

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The English translation of the French verb “chapeauter” is “to oversee” or “to superintend.” The infinitive form “chapeauter” is pronounced as “sha-po-tey.”

The word “chapeauter” comes from the noun “chapeau,” which means “hat” in English. It figuratively refers to someone who is the top or leader, like someone wearing a hat. In everyday French, “chapeauter” is commonly used in the imparfait tense, which expresses an ongoing or repeated action in the past.

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

  1. Je chapeautais le projet. (I oversaw the project.)
  2. Tu chapeautais l’équipe. (You supervised the team.)
  3. Il/Elle chapeautait les opérations. (He/She was in charge of the operations.)

Note: The English translations provided above aim to capture the general meaning of the sentences, but may vary based on the context.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of chapeauter

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je chapeautais Je chapeautais le projet. I was overseeing the project.
tu chapeautais Tu chapeautais les opérations. You were supervising the operations.
il chapeautait Il chapeautait l’équipe. He was leading the team.
elle chapeautait Elle chapeautait la réunion. She was chairing the meeting.
on chapeautait On chapeautait les travaux. We were overseeing the work.
nous chapeautions Nous chapeautions les projets. We were overseeing the projects.
vous chapeautiez Vous chapeautiez les départements. You were supervising the departments.
ils chapeautaient Ils chapeautaient les activités. They were overseeing the activities.
elles chapeautaient Elles chapeautaient les initiatives. They were overseeing the initiatives.

Other Conjugations for Chapeauter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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