Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb congratuler

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb congratuler

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The English translation of the French verb “congratuler” is “to congratulate.” The infinitive form “congratuler” is pronounced as “kohng-graht-yuh-lay.”

The verb “congratuler” is derived from the Latin word “congratulari,” which means “to rejoice with” or “to congratulate.” In everyday French, it is commonly used in the imparfait tense to express habitual or ongoing actions in the past.

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

  1. Chaque fois qu’il réussissait un examen, ses parents le congratulaient.
    (Whenever he passed an exam, his parents would congratulate him.)

  2. Nous les congratulions pour leur victoire au match de football.
    (We used to congratulate them for their victory in the soccer match.)

  3. Vous congratuliez toujours vos collègues quand ils accomplissaient de grands projets.
    (You used to always congratulate your colleagues when they completed big projects.)

Note: The imparfait tense in French generally indicates an ongoing or repeated action in the past and is often translated to English as “used to” or “would.”

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of congratuler

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je congratulais Je te congratulais pour ton succès. I used to congratulate you for your success.
tu congratulais Tu me congratulais souvent. You used to congratulate me often.
il congratulait Il la congratulait pour son travail. He used to congratulate her for her work.
elle congratulait Elle le congratulait pour sa victoire. She used to congratulate him for his victory.
on congratulait On les congratulait pour leur mariage. We used to congratulate them for their wedding.
nous congratulions Nous te congratulions pour ton anniversaire. We used to congratulate you for your birthday.
vous congratuliez Vous nous congratuliez pour nos efforts. You used to congratulate us for our efforts.
ils congratulaient Ils le congratulaient pour son talent. They used to congratulate him for his talent.
elles congratulaient Elles la congratulaient pour son courage. They used to congratulate her for her courage.

Other Conjugations for Congratuler.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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