Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emparquer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb emparquer

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The English translation of the French verb “emparquer” is “to board” or “to get on board.” The infinitive form, “emparquer,” is pronounced as [ɑ̃.paʁ.ke].

The verb “emparquer” comes from the combination of the prefix “en-” (meaning “in” or “on”) and the verb “parquer” (meaning “to park” or “to put in a confined space”). It is most often used in everyday French to refer to the action of getting on board a vehicle or a means of transportation.

Here are three simple examples of the usage of “emparquer” in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Chaque matin, nous emparquions dans le bus pour aller à l’école.
    (Every morning, we would board the bus to go to school.)

  2. Pendant mes vacances en France, j’embarquais sur un bateau pour visiter les îles.
    (During my vacation in France, I would board a boat to visit the islands.)

  3. Les passagers emparquaient rapidement dans l’avion avant le décollage.
    (The passengers were boarding quickly onto the plane before takeoff.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of emparquer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je étais J’étais fatigué. I was tired.
tu étais Tu étais en retard. You were late.
il était Il était heureux. He was happy.
elle était Elle était occupée. She was busy.
on était On était amis. We were friends.
nous étions Nous étions à la plage. We were at the beach.
vous étiez Vous étiez courageux. You were brave.
ils étaient Ils étaient ensemble. They were together.
elles étaient Elles étaient calmes. They were calm.

Other Conjugations for Emparquer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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