Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb discriminer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb discriminer

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The English translation of the French verb “discriminer” is “to discriminate.” The infinitive form of “discriminer” is pronounced as dee-skree-mee-nay.

The verb “discriminer” originated from the Latin word “discriminare,” meaning “to distinguish between.” In everyday French, it is commonly used to describe the act of treating someone unfairly or differently based on their race, gender, religion, or other characteristics.

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

  1. Quand j’étais enfant, je me sentais discriminé à l’école.
    (When I was a child, I felt discriminated against at school.)

  2. Nous étions souvent discriminés en raison de notre origine ethnique.
    (We were often discriminated against because of our ethnic background.)

  3. Les femmes étaient régulièrement discriminées sur le marché du travail.
    (Women were regularly discriminated against in the job market.)

Please note that the examples provided are for illustrative purposes and do not reflect personal opinions or endorse discriminatory behavior.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of discriminer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je discriminai Je discriminai les minorités. I discriminated against minorities.
tu discriminas Tu discriminas les femmes. You discriminated against women.
il discriminait Il discriminait les personnes handicapées. He discriminated against disabled people.
elle discriminait Elle discriminait les immigrants. She discriminated against immigrants.
on discriminait On discriminait les homosexuels. We discriminated against homosexuals.
nous discriminions Nous discriminions les personnes âgées. We discriminated against elderly people.
vous discriminiez Vous discriminiez les personnes de couleur. You discriminated against people of color.
ils discriminaient Ils discriminaient les personnes de différentes religions. They discriminated against people of different religions.
elles discriminaient Elles discriminaient les personnes obèses. They discriminated against obese people.

Other Conjugations for Discriminer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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