Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embrayer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb embrayer

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The English translation of the French verb embrayer is “to engage” or “to shift gears.” The infinitive form of embrayer is pronounced as “ahm-bray-ay.”

Embrayer is derived from the Old French word “enbrayer,” which is a combination of the prefix “en-” (meaning “in” or “into”) and the word “brayer” (meaning “to bray” or “to neigh”). Originally, embrayer referred to the action of putting a bit into a horse’s mouth, but its meaning evolved over time to include shifting gears in mechanical devices.

In everyday French, embrayer is commonly used in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. Here are three examples of its usage in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Quand j’étais jeune, j’embrayais toujours trop vite.
    (When I was young, I would always shift gears too quickly.)

  2. Nous embrayions avec précaution pour éviter les à-coups.
    (We used to engage gears carefully to avoid jolts.)

  3. Pendant le trajet, le conducteur embrayait régulièrement pour adapter sa vitesse.
    (During the journey, the driver would regularly shift gears to adjust his speed.)

Note: The English translations provided above are not literal word-for-word translations, but rather convey the intended meaning of each sentence.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of embrayer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je embrayais J’embrayais lentement. I was shifting gears slowly.
tu embrayais Tu embrayais mal. You were shifting gears improperly.
il embrayait Il embrayait avec précaution. He was shifting gears carefully.
elle embrayait Elle embrayait en douceur. She was shifting gears smoothly.
on embrayait On embrayait souvent. We were shifting gears frequently.
nous embrayions Nous embrayions en même temps. We were shifting gears at the same time.
vous embrayiez Vous embrayiez rapidement. You were shifting gears quickly.
ils embrayaient Ils embrayaient brusquement. They were shifting gears abruptly.
elles embrayaient Elles embrayaient lentement. They were shifting gears slowly.

Other Conjugations for Embrayer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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