Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embabouiner

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb embabouiner

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The English translation of the French verb embabouiner is “to hoodwink” or “to deceive”. The infinitive form of embabouiner is pronounced as “ahm-bah-boo-ee-nay”.

The word embabouiner originated from the colloquial French term “babouin” meaning “baboon”. It is most often used in everyday French in the imparfait tense to describe a continuous or ongoing action in the past. In this tense, it conveys the idea of someone being continuously deceived or fooled, often with a sense of manipulation or trickery.

Here are three examples of embabouiner used in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Ils m’embabouinaient avec leurs belles paroles. (They used to hoodwink me with their sweet words.)
  2. Il embabouinait tout le monde avec ses histoires rocambolesques. (He used to deceive everyone with his far-fetched stories.)
  3. Elle nous embabouinait en prétendant être une experte. (She used to hoodwink us by pretending to be an expert.)

Please note that the English translations provided are not literal, but rather convey the general meaning of the sentences.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of embabouiner

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je embabouinais J’embabouinais mon frère. I was scolding my brother.
tu embabouinais Tu embabouinais tes amis. You were scolding your friends.
il embabouinait Il embabouinait sa sœur. He was scolding his sister.
elle embabouinait Elle embabouinait son frère. She was scolding her brother.
on embabouinait On embabouinait les enfants. We were scolding the children.
nous embabouinions Nous embabouinions nos voisins. We were scolding our neighbors.
vous embabouiniez Vous embabouiniez vos collègues. You were scolding your colleagues.
ils embabouinaient Ils embabouinaient leurs parents. They were scolding their parents.
elles embabouinaient Elles embabouinaient leurs amis. They were scolding their friends.

Other Conjugations for Embabouiner.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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