Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-manifester

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contre-manifester

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The English translation of the French verb “contre-manifester” is “to counter-demonstrate.” The infinitive form “contre-manifester” is pronounced as “kontruh-manifestay.”

The term “contre-manifester” combines the prefix “contre-” (meaning “against” or “opposite”) and the verb “manifester” (meaning “to demonstrate” or “to protest”). It originated in the French language and is commonly used in everyday French to refer to the act of protesting or demonstrating against another demonstration or movement.

In the imparfait tense, “contre-manifester” is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past. Here are three examples of its usage in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Pendant les années 1960, certains groupes étudiants contre-manifestaient contre la guerre du Vietnam.
    (During the 1960s, some student groups were counter-demonstrating against the Vietnam War.)

  2. Chaque semaine, ils contre-manifestaient devant l’ambassade pour exprimer leur désaccord.
    (Every week, they were counter-demonstrating in front of the embassy to express their disagreement.)

  3. Nous contre-manifestions régulièrement pour défendre les droits des travailleurs.
    (We were counter-demonstrating regularly to defend workers’ rights.)

These examples illustrate how “contre-manifester” is used in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing or repeated actions of counter-demonstrating in the past.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of contre-manifester

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je contre-manifestais Je contre-manifestais pour exprimer mon désaccord. I was counter-protesting to express my disagreement.
tu contre-manifestais Tu contre-manifestais avec tes amis. You were counter-protesting with your friends.
il contre-manifestait Il contre-manifestait pacifiquement. He was counter-protesting peacefully.
elle contre-manifestait Elle contre-manifestait contre cette politique. She was counter-protesting against this policy.
on contre-manifestait On contre-manifestait pour défendre nos droits. We were counter-protesting to defend our rights.
nous contre-manifestions Nous contre-manifestions régulièrement. We were counter-protesting regularly.
vous contre-manifestiez Vous contre-manifestiez avec conviction. You were counter-protesting with conviction.
ils contre-manifestaient Ils contre-manifestaient en grand nombre. They were counter-protesting in large numbers.
elles contre-manifestaient Elles contre-manifestaient pour la justice sociale. They were counter-protesting for social justice.

Other Conjugations for Contre-Manifester.

Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb contre-manifester

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

Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-manifester

Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-manifester

Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-manifester

Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-manifester

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

Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-manifester

Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-manifester

Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-manifester

Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-manifester

Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-manifester

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

Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-manifester

Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-manifester

Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-manifester

L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-manifester

L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-manifester

L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-manifester

L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-manifester

Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-manifester

Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-manifester

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Contre-Manifester – 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 contre-manifester. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!

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