Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délibérer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb délibérer

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The English translation of the French verb “délibérer” is “to deliberate.” The infinitive form of “délibérer” is pronounced as [dey-lee-beh-rey].

The word “délibérer” originated from the Latin word “deliberare,” meaning “to consider carefully.” In everyday French, it is commonly used in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. The imparfait tense is used to express actions that were occurring or used to occur repeatedly in the past.

Here are three simple examples of “délibérer” in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Chaque soir, nous délibérions sur le menu du dîner.
    (Every evening, we would deliberate on the dinner menu.)

  2. Pendant des heures, il délibérait sur sa décision.
    (For hours, he deliberated on his decision.)

  3. Ils délibéraient régulièrement avant de prendre une décision finale.
    (They used to deliberate regularly before making a final decision.)

Note: In these examples, the imparfait tense is used to describe a past ongoing action or a habitual action.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of délibérer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je délibérais Je délibérais longtemps. I deliberated for a long time.
tu délibérais Tu délibérais avec soin. You deliberated carefully.
il délibérait Il délibérait sur sa décision. He deliberated on his decision.
elle délibérait Elle délibérait avant de répondre. She deliberated before answering.
on délibérait On délibérait ensemble. We deliberated together.
nous délibérions Nous délibérions en groupe. We deliberated as a group.
vous délibériez Vous délibériez librement. You deliberated freely.
ils délibéraient Ils délibéraient sans relâche. They deliberated relentlessly.
elles délibéraient Elles délibéraient sérieusement. They deliberated seriously.

Other Conjugations for Délibérer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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