Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
Introduction to the verb copier
The English translation of the French verb “copier” is “to copy.” The infinitive form of “copier” is pronounced as “koh-pee-yey.”
The verb “copier” in French has its origin from the Latin word “copiare,” meaning “to copy” or “to imitate.” In everyday French, “copier” is most often used to refer to the action of reproducing or duplicating something.
Here are three examples of the usage of “copier” in the imparfait tense along with their respective English translations:
- Quand j’étais jeune, je copiais souvent les devoirs de mes camarades.
(When I was young, I used to copy my classmates’ homework frequently.) - Pendant les examens, certains élèves copiaient sur leurs voisins.
(During exams, some students used to copy from their neighbors.) - Nous copiions les informations importantes du tableau pour les avoir à la maison.
(We used to copy the important information from the board to have it at home.)
Please note that the translations above are given in the imparfait tense in English to match the usage in French.
Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of copier
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | copiais | Je copiais le livre. | I was copying the book. |
tu | copiais | Tu copiais le texte. | You were copying the text. |
il | copiait | Il copiait l’image. | He was copying the image. |
elle | copiait | Elle copiait les notes. | She was copying the notes. |
on | copiait | On copiait les réponses. | We were copying the answers. |
nous | copiions | Nous copiions les documents. | We were copying the documents. |
vous | copiiez | Vous copiiez le rapport. | You were copying the report. |
ils | copiaient | Ils copiaient les dessins. | They were copying the drawings. |
elles | copiaient | Elles copiaient les données. | They were copying the data. |
Other Conjugations for Copier.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb copier
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb copier
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Copier – About the French Imparfait Tense
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
For regular -er verbs:
For regular -ir verbs
For regular -re verbs
Common Everyday Usage Patterns
Description of Past Habits
Background Information
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
Points to Note About the Imparfait Tense
Passé Composé vs. Imparfait
Conditional
Si Clauses
Narration
I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb copier. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!