Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emmailloter

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb emmailloter

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The English translation of the French verb “emmailloter” is “to swaddle.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form “emmailloter” is [e-ma-yo-te].

The word “emmailloter” comes from the old French term “mailloter” which means “to wrap in swaddling clothes.” It is derived from the noun “maillot” meaning “swaddling clothes” or “diaper.” In everyday French, “emmailloter” is commonly used in the imparfait tense to describe past habitual or ongoing actions.

Examples of the verb “emmailloter” in the imparfait tense:

  1. Chaque soir, j’emmaillotais ma petite sœur avant de la coucher.
    (Every evening, I used to swaddle my little sister before putting her to bed.)

  2. Quand il était bébé, nous l’emmaillotions pour qu’il puisse mieux dormir.
    (When he was a baby, we used to swaddle him so he could sleep better.)

  3. Les mamans de cette époque emmaillotaient toujours leurs nouveau-nés.
    (Mothers in those times used to always swaddle their newborns.)

English translations:

  1. Every evening, I used to swaddle my little sister before putting her to bed.
  2. When he was a baby, we used to swaddle him so he could sleep better.
  3. Mothers in those times used to always swaddle their newborns.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of emmailloter

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je emmaillotais J’emmaillotais le bébé. I was swaddling the baby.
tu emmaillotais Tu emmaillotais ton petit frère. You were swaddling your little brother.
il emmaillotait Il emmaillotait le nouveau-né. He was swaddling the newborn.
elle emmaillotait Elle emmaillotait sa fille. She was swaddling her daughter.
on emmaillotait On emmaillotait les nouveau-nés à l’hôpital. We were swaddling newborns at the hospital.
nous emmaillotions Nous emmaillotions nos jumeaux. We were swaddling our twins.
vous emmaillotiez Vous emmaillotiez votre bébé avec soin. You were swaddling your baby carefully.
ils emmaillotaient Ils emmaillotaient les bébés avant de les coucher. They were swaddling the babies before putting them to bed.
elles emmaillotaient Elles emmaillotaient les nouveau-nées pour les rassurer. They were swaddling the newborns to reassure them.

Other Conjugations for Emmailloter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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