Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb douter

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb douter

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The English translation of the French verb “douter” is “to doubt.” The infinitive form of “douter” is pronounced as “doo-tey.”

The word “douter” originated from the Old French verb “douter,” which can be traced back to the Latin word “dubitare,” meaning “to hesitate” or “to be uncertain.”

In everyday French, the verb “douter” is commonly used in the imparfait tense to express doubts or uncertainties in the past. Here are three examples of its usage in the imparfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Je doutais de ses intentions. (I doubted his intentions.)
  2. Nous doutions de la véracité de ses paroles. (We doubted the truthfulness of his words.)
  3. Elles doutaient de pouvoir terminer le projet à temps. (They doubted being able to finish the project on time.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of douter

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je doutais Je doutais de moi. I doubted myself.
tu doutais Tu doutais de son intention. You doubted his intention.
il doutait Il doutait de sa décision. He doubted his decision.
elle doutait Elle doutait de son talent. She doubted her talent.
on doutait On doutait de sa sincérité. We doubted his sincerity.
nous doutions Nous doutions de la vérité. We doubted the truth.
vous doutiez Vous doutiez de vos compétences. You doubted your abilities.
ils doutaient Ils doutaient de leurs capacités. They doubted their abilities.
elles doutaient Elles doutaient de leur amitié. They doubted their friendship.

Other Conjugations for Douter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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