Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb clamser

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb clamser

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The English translation of the French verb “clamser” is “to croak” or “to kick the bucket.” The infinitive form of “clamser” is pronounced as “klam-seh”.

“Clamser” originated from the word “clame,” which means “to die” in Old French. It is generally used as a colloquial or slang term in everyday French to describe someone’s death or a sudden or unexpected end of something.

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

  1. Quand j’étais jeune, mon grand-père clamait chaque soir devant la télévision.
    (When I was young, my grandfather would kick the bucket every evening in front of the television.)

  2. Pendant la guerre, beaucoup de soldats clamsaient sur le champ de bataille.
    (During the war, many soldiers were croaking on the battlefield.)

  3. Les fleurs que j’avais plantées dans mon jardin clamsaient les unes après les autres.
    (The flowers I had planted in my garden were croaking one after another.)

Please note that the verb “clamser” is informal and may not be suitable for formal or polite contexts.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of clamser

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je clamais Je clamais ma douleur. I was lamenting my pain.
tu clamais Tu clamais ton innocence. You were proclaiming your innocence.
il clamait Il clamait sa victoire. He was proclaiming his victory.
elle clamait Elle clamait son amour. She was proclaiming her love.
on clamait On clamait sa colère. We were proclaiming our anger.
nous clamions Nous clamions notre droit. We were proclaiming our right.
vous clamiez Vous clamiez votre désaccord. You were proclaiming your disagreement.
ils clamaient Ils clamaient leur mécontentement. They were proclaiming their discontent.
elles clamaient Elles clamaient leur joie. They were proclaiming their joy.

Other Conjugations for Clamser.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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