Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délivrer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb délivrer

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The English translation of the French verb “délivrer” is “to deliver” or “to free.” The infinitive form “délivrer” is pronounced as [de-lee-vrey].

The word “délivrer” comes from the Latin word “delevare,” which means “to free” or “to release.” In everyday French, “délivrer” is commonly used to describe the action of delivering or freeing someone or something from a particular situation or place.

Examples of “délivrer” in the imparfait tense:

  1. Chaque jour, je délivrais les colis aux clients. (Every day, I used to deliver packages to the customers.)
  2. Les pompiers délivraient les personnes coincées dans l’immeuble en feu. (The firefighters were freeing the people trapped in the burning building.)
  3. Nous délivrions des médicaments aux personnes malades. (We were delivering medicines to sick people.)

English translations:

  1. Every day, I used to deliver packages to the customers.
  2. The firefighters were freeing the people trapped in the burning building.
  3. We were delivering medicines to sick people.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of délivrer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je délivrais Je délivrais les lettres. I was delivering the letters.
tu délivrais Tu délivrais les colis. You were delivering the packages.
il délivrait Il délivrait les médicaments. He was delivering the medicine.
elle délivrait Elle délivrait les journaux. She was delivering the newspapers.
on délivrait On délivrait les cadeaux. We were delivering the gifts.
nous délivrions Nous délivrions les messages. We were delivering the messages.
vous délivriez Vous délivriez les paquets. You were delivering the parcels.
ils délivraient Ils délivraient les documents. They were delivering the documents.
elles délivraient Elles délivraient les colis. They were delivering the packages.

Other Conjugations for Délivrer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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