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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contre-miner

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The English translation of the French verb “contre-miner” is “to countermine”. The infinitive form, “contre-miner”, is pronounced as “kawn-truh-mee-nay”.

The language origin of “contre-miner” comes from the combination of the prefix “contre-” meaning “against” or “opposite” and the verb “miner” meaning “to mine”. In everyday French, “contre-miner” is used to describe the act of undermining or sabotaging someone’s plans or actions.

Here are three examples of “contre-miner” in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Nous contre-minions leurs stratégies pour gagner la compétition.
    (We were countermining their strategies to win the competition.)

  2. Tu contre-minais constamment les décisions de ton supérieur.
    (You were constantly countermining your superior’s decisions.)

  3. Ils contre-minaient les négociations en divulguant des informations confidentielles.
    (They were countermining the negotiations by disclosing confidential information.)

In these examples, the verb “contre-miner” is used to convey ongoing or continuous actions that were taking place in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je contre-minais Je contre-minais le terrain. I was countermining the ground.
tu contre-minais Tu contre-minais les tunnels. You were countermining the tunnels.
il contre-minait Il contre-minait les fortifications. He was countermining the fortifications.
elle contre-minait Elle contre-minait les défenses. She was countermining the defenses.
on contre-minait On contre-minait les positions ennemies. We were countermining the enemy positions.
nous contre-minions Nous contre-minions les mines. We were countermining the mines.
vous contre-miniez Vous contre-miniez les obstacles. You were countermining the obstacles.
ils contre-minaient Ils contre-minaient les chemins. They were countermining the paths.
elles contre-minaient Elles contre-minaient les tranchées. They were countermining the trenches.

Other Conjugations for Contre-Miner.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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