Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contreficher

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contreficher

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The English translation of the French verb contreficher is “to pretend” or “to feign.” The infinitive form of contreficher is pronounced as kɔ̃.tʁə.fi.ʃe.

Contreficher is derived from the French word “contrefait,” which means “counterfeit” or “fake.” It is most often used in everyday French in the imparfait tense to express ongoing or repeated actions in the past. This tense describes actions or states that were occurring or continuing in the past without a precise beginning or end.

Here are three examples of contreficher in the imparfait tense and their English translations:

  1. Je me contrefichais de ses critiques.
    (I used to pretend not to care about his criticisms.)
  2. Nous contrefichions des règles établies.
    (We used to disregard the established rules.)
  3. Le politicien contrefichait des promesses qu’il avait faites.
    (The politician was pretending not to care about the promises he had made.)

In these examples, contreficher is used to express ongoing or repeated actions in the past, showing a lack of concern or disregard for something.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of contreficher

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je contrefichais Je contrefichais des règles. I didn’t give a damn about the rules.
tu contrefichais Tu contrefichais de ton travail. You didn’t give a damn about your work.
il contrefichait Il contrefichait de ses responsabilités. He didn’t give a damn about his responsibilities.
elle contrefichait Elle contrefichait de sa réputation. She didn’t give a damn about her reputation.
on contrefichait On contrefichait de ce qu’ils pensaient. We didn’t give a damn about what they thought.
nous contrefichions Nous contrefichions des conventions. We didn’t give a damn about conventions.
vous contrefichiez Vous contrefichiez des critiques. You didn’t give a damn about criticism.
ils contrefichaient Ils contrefichaient des règles. They didn’t give a damn about the rules.
elles contrefichaient Elles contrefichaient des interdictions. They didn’t give a damn about prohibitions.

Other Conjugations for Contreficher.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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