Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
Introduction to the verb empêcher
The English translation of the French verb “empêcher” is “to prevent” or “to hinder.” The infinitive form of empêcher is pronounced as “ahm-peh-shay.”
The verb empêcher originates from the Old French word “empechier,” which comes from the Latin word “impedicare” meaning “to entangle.” It is commonly used in everyday French in the imparfait tense, which expresses ongoing or repeated actions in the past. The imparfait tense is also used to describe habitual actions or to set the scene in a narrative.
Here are three examples of empêcher used in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:
-
Quand j’étais jeune, mes parents m’empêchaient de sortir tard le soir.
(When I was young, my parents used to prevent me from going out late at night.) -
Nous nous entraînions tous les jours pour empêcher notre adversaire de marquer des buts.
(We used to train every day to prevent our opponent from scoring goals.) -
Elle nous empêchait toujours de regarder la télévision pendant les repas.
(She would always prevent us from watching television during meals.)
Note: The translations of the examples may vary slightly depending on the context.
Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of empêcher
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | empêchais | J’empêchais le vol. | I was preventing the theft. |
tu | empêchais | Tu empêchais les accidents. | You were preventing the accidents. |
il | empêchait | Il empêchait le désordre. | He was preventing the disorder. |
elle | empêchait | Elle empêchait les disputes. | She was preventing the arguments. |
on | empêchait | On empêchait les erreurs. | We were preventing the mistakes. |
nous | empêchions | Nous empêchions les problèmes. | We were preventing the problems. |
vous | empêchiez | Vous empêchiez les conflits. | You were preventing the conflicts. |
ils | empêchaient | Ils empêchaient les vols. | They were preventing the thefts. |
elles | empêchaient | Elles empêchaient les accidents. | They were preventing the accidents. |
Other Conjugations for Empêcher.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
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Empêcher – About the French Imparfait Tense
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
For regular -er verbs:
For regular -ir verbs
For regular -re verbs
Common Everyday Usage Patterns
Description of Past Habits
Background Information
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
Points to Note About the Imparfait Tense
Passé Composé vs. Imparfait
Conditional
Si Clauses
Narration
I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb empêcher. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!