Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
Introduction to the verb ciller
The English translation of the French verb “ciller” is “to blink.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “see-yay.”
The verb “ciller” comes from the Latin word “ciliare,” which means “to blink.” In everyday French, it is commonly used in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. This tense is often used to set the scene or describe the background of a specific event.
Here are three simple examples of the usage of “ciller” in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:
-
Quand j’étais jeune, je cillais souvent en regardant la télévision.
(When I was young, I would often blink while watching television.) -
Les enfants cillaient beaucoup à cause de la lumière vive dans la pièce.
(The children were blinking a lot because of the bright light in the room.) -
Pendant la réunion, les participants cillaient de temps en temps d’ennui.
(During the meeting, the participants would blink occasionally out of boredom.)
Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of ciller
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | cillais | Je cillais des yeux. | I blinked my eyes. |
tu | cillais | Tu cillais rapidement. | You blinked quickly. |
il | cillait | Il cillait souvent. | He blinked often. |
elle | cillait | Elle cillait doucement. | She blinked softly. |
on | cillait | On cillait en silence. | We blinked silently. |
nous | cillions | Nous cillions ensemble. | We blinked together. |
vous | cilliez | Vous cilliez brusquement. | You blinked abruptly. |
ils | cillaient | Ils cillaient intensément. | They blinked intensely. |
elles | cillaient | Elles cillaient lentement. | They blinked slowly. |
Other Conjugations for Ciller.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥
Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the ciller imparfait tense conjugation!
Ciller – About the French Imparfait Tense
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
For regular -er verbs:
For regular -ir verbs
For regular -re verbs
Common Everyday Usage Patterns
Description of Past Habits
Background Information
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
Points to Note About the Imparfait Tense
Passé Composé vs. Imparfait
Conditional
Si Clauses
Narration
I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb ciller. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!