Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb concélébrer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb concélébrer

Get the imperfect (imparfait) tense conjugation of concélébrer. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb “concélébrer” is “to concelebrate.” The infinitive form of “concélébrer” is pronounced as “kon-se-le-bray.”

“Concélébrer” is derived from the Latin word “concelebrare,” which means to celebrate together. In everyday French, the verb is primarily used in religious contexts, particularly in Catholicism, to describe the practice of multiple priests celebrating Mass together.

In the imparfait tense, “concélébrer” is used to refer to a past ongoing or repeated action. Here are three examples of its usage in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Chaque dimanche, les prêtres concélébraient la messe dans la paroisse. (Every Sunday, the priests used to concelebrate Mass in the parish.)
  2. Pendant les grandes festivités, les évêques concélébraient les liturgies solennelles. (During the major celebrations, the bishops would concelebrate the solemn liturgies.)
  3. Autrefois, les moines concélébraient les offices religieux quotidiens dans le monastère. (In the past, the monks used to concelebrate the daily religious services in the monastery.)

Note: The translations provided are not strictly literal but aim to capture the meaning and context of the sentences.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of concélébrer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je concélébrais Je concélébrais la messe. I was concelebrating the Mass.
tu concélébrais Tu concélébrais avec le prêtre. You were concelebrating with the priest.
il concélébrait Il concélébrait chaque dimanche. He was concelebrating every Sunday.
elle concélébrait Elle concélébrait avec les autres religieuses. She was concelebrating with the other nuns.
on concélébrait On concélébrait en silence. We were concelebrating in silence.
nous concélébrions Nous concélébrions ensemble. We were concelebrating together.
vous concélébriez Vous concélébriez avec les évêques. You were concelebrating with the bishops.
ils concélébraient Ils concélébraient avec ferveur. They were concelebrating fervently.
elles concélébraient Elles concélébraient régulièrement. They were concelebrating regularly.

Other Conjugations for Concélébrer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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