Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embastiller

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb embastiller

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The English translation of the French verb “embastiller” is “to imprison” or “to throw into prison.”

The infinitive form of “embastiller” is pronounced as [ɑ̃.bas.ti.je].

The verb “embastiller” is derived from the French word “bastille,” which refers to a medieval fortress used as a prison in Paris. It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of imprisoning someone or throwing them into jail.

Here are three examples of “embastiller” in the imparfait tense, along with their respective English translations:

  1. Pendant la Révolution française, on embastillait les opposants politiques.
    (During the French Revolution, political opponents were imprisoned.)
  2. Quand j’étais jeune, mes parents m’embastillaient dans ma chambre quand j’avais des punitions.
    (When I was young, my parents used to imprison me in my room when I was grounded.)
  3. Les dictateurs embastillaient souvent les journalistes qui critiquaient leur régime.
    (Dictators would often throw into prison journalists who criticized their regime.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of embastiller

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je embastillais J’embastillais les prisonniers. I was imprisoning the prisoners.
tu embastillais Tu embastillais les opposants. You were imprisoning the opponents.
il embastillait Il embastillait les révoltés. He was imprisoning the rebels.
elle embastillait Elle embastillait les coupables. She was imprisoning the guilty ones.
on embastillait On embastillait les suspects. We were imprisoning the suspects.
nous embastillions Nous embastillions les traîtres. We were imprisoning the traitors.
vous embastilliez Vous embastilliez les conspirateurs. You were imprisoning the conspirators.
ils embastillaient Ils embastillaient les ennemis. They were imprisoning the enemies.
elles embastillaient Elles embastillaient les espions. They were imprisoning the spies.

Other Conjugations for Embastiller.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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