Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb crétiniser

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb crétiniser

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The English translation of the French verb “crétiniser” is “to turn into an idiot” or “to make someone stupid.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form “crétiniser” is [kʁetiniˈze].

The word “crétiniser” is derived from the French noun “crétin,” which originally referred to a person with a congenital thyroid deficiency leading to physical and mental impairment. Over time, the word has evolved to be used more broadly to describe someone foolish or stupid. “Crétiniser” is used figuratively to describe the action of making someone or something become like a “crétin” or idiot.

In everyday French, “crétiniser” is primarily used in the imparfait tense to describe a continuous or habitual action in the past. Here are three examples of its usage:

  1. Quand j’étais adolescent, les jeux vidéo me crétinisaient.
    (When I was a teenager, video games were making me stupid.)

  2. Les heures passées devant la télévision l’ont crétinisé.
    (The hours spent in front of the television turned him into an idiot.)

  3. Elle se crétinisait en lisant des magazines people.
    (She was making herself stupid by reading gossip magazines.)

Please note that the translations provided are not literal but aim to capture the meaning of the sentences in English.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of crétiniser

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je crétinisais Je crétinisais mes amis. I was making my friends dumb.
tu crétinisais Tu crétinisais les enfants. You were making the children dumb.
il crétinisait Il crétinisait ses collègues. He was making his colleagues dumb.
elle crétinisait Elle crétinisait ses étudiants. She was making her students dumb.
on crétinisait On crétinisait tout le monde. We were making everyone dumb.
nous crétinisions Nous crétinisions notre entourage. We were making our surroundings dumb.
vous crétinisiez Vous crétinisiez les gens. You were making people dumb.
ils crétinisaient Ils crétinisaient le public. They were making the audience dumb.
elles crétinisaient Elles crétinisaient les spectateurs. They were making the spectators dumb.

Other Conjugations for Crétiniser.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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