Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
Introduction to the verb cligner
The English translation of the French verb “cligner” is “to blink” or “to wink.” The infinitive form “cligner” is pronounced as “klee-nyey.”
The word “cligner” comes from the Old French word “cligner” meaning “to shut one eye.” It originated from the Latin word “clinare” which means “to incline” or “to bend.” In everyday French, the verb “cligner” is most often used in the imparfait tense to describe habitual or ongoing actions in the past.
Here are three examples of “cligner” in the imparfait tense and their English translations:
-
Quand j’étais enfant, je clignais souvent des yeux pour essayer de comprendre quelque chose.
(When I was a child, I would often blink my eyes to try to understand something.) -
Nous clignions des yeux à chaque fois que le soleil était trop fort.
(We would blink our eyes every time the sun was too strong.) -
Pendant la réunion, elle clignait constamment des yeux pour éviter de s’endormir.
(During the meeting, she would constantly blink her eyes to avoid falling asleep.)
Please note that the translations provided are approximate and may vary depending on the context.
Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of cligner
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | clignais | Je clignais des yeux. | I was blinking. |
tu | clignais | Tu clignais des paupières. | You were blinking. |
il | clignait | Il clignait souvent. | He was blinking often. |
elle | clignait | Elle clignait rapidement. | She was blinking quickly. |
on | clignait | On clignait des yeux. | We were blinking. |
nous | clignions | Nous clignions souvent. | We were blinking often. |
vous | cligniez | Vous cligniez des paupières. | You were blinking. |
ils | clignaient | Ils clignaient rapidement. | They were blinking quickly. |
elles | clignaient | Elles clignaient des yeux. | They were blinking. |
Other Conjugations for Cligner.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner
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 cligner imparfait tense conjugation!
Cligner – 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 cligner. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!