Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb disséminer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb disséminer

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The English translation of the French verb disséminer is “to disseminate” or “to scatter”. The infinitive form, disséminer, is pronounced as dee-seh-mee-neh.

Disséminer comes from the Latin word “disseminare”, which means “to scatter widely” or “to spread”. In everyday French, it is used to describe the action of spreading or scattering something, whether it be ideas, information, seeds, or particles.

Here are three examples of disséminer in the imparfait tense:

  1. Chaque automne, nous disséminions les graines dans le jardin. (Every autumn, we used to scatter the seeds in the garden.)
  2. Les oiseaux disséminaient les baies dans tout le bois. (The birds were scattering the berries all over the woods.)
  3. Pendant la conférence, le conférencier disséminait des informations sur plusieurs sujets. (During the conference, the speaker was disseminating information on various topics.)

English translations:

  1. Every autumn, we used to scatter the seeds in the garden.
  2. The birds were scattering the berries all over the woods.
  3. During the conference, the speaker was disseminating information on various topics.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of disséminer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je disséminais Je disséminais des graines. I was scattering seeds.
tu disséminais Tu disséminais des informations. You were spreading information.
il disséminait Il disséminait des spores. He was dispersing spores.
elle disséminait Elle disséminait des idées. She was disseminating ideas.
on disséminait On disséminait des flyers. We were distributing flyers.
nous disséminions Nous disséminions des tracts. We were disseminating pamphlets.
vous disséminiez Vous disséminiez des rumeurs. You were spreading rumors.
ils disséminaient Ils disséminaient des virus. They were spreading viruses.
elles disséminaient Elles disséminaient des connaissances. They were disseminating knowledge.

Other Conjugations for Disséminer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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