Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dîner

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dîner

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The English translation of the French verb “dîner” is “to have dinner” or “to dine.” The infinitive form “dîner” is pronounced as “dee-nay.”

The word “dîner” in French originates from the Latin word “disjūnāre,” which means “to have dinner.” In everyday French, the verb “dîner” is commonly used in the imparfait tense to describe habitual or ongoing actions in the past.

Here are three examples of the usage of “dîner” in the imparfait tense:

  1. Chaque soir, nous dînions en famille.
    (Every evening, we used to have dinner as a family.)

  2. Quand j’étais jeune, je dînais toujours à 20h.
    (When I was young, I would always have dinner at 8 pm.)

  3. Pendant les vacances, nous dînions souvent dans des restaurants.
    (During the holidays, we would often dine in restaurants.)

English translations:

  1. Every evening, we used to have dinner as a family.
  2. When I was young, I would always have dinner at 8 pm.
  3. During the holidays, we would often dine in restaurants.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of dîner

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je dînais Je dînais avec mes amis. I was dining with my friends.
tu dînais Tu dînais tard. You were dining late.
il dînait Il dînait chez lui. He was dining at his place.
elle dînait Elle dînait seule. She was dining alone.
on dînait On dînait ensemble. We were dining together.
nous dînions Nous dînions au restaurant. We were dining at the restaurant.
vous dîniez Vous dîniez tôt. You were dining early.
ils dînaient Ils dînaient en famille. They were dining with their family.
elles dînaient Elles dînaient dehors. They were dining outside.

Other Conjugations for Dîner.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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