Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empiéter

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb empiéter

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The English translation of the French verb “empiéter” is “to encroach” or “to encroach upon.” The infinitive form of empiéter is pronounced as “ahm-pee-eh-teh.”

Empiéter originated from the Old French word “empieter,” which comes from the Latin word “imptiōnāre,” meaning “to encroach” or “to infringe.” In everyday French, empiéter is used in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

Here are three simple examples of empiéter used in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Je l’empiétais souvent dans ses affaires.
    (I used to often encroach upon his affairs.)
  2. Tu empiétais régulièrement sur mon espace de travail.
    (You used to regularly encroach upon my workspace.)
  3. Les voisins empiétaient constamment sur notre terrain.
    (The neighbors used to constantly encroach upon our land.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of empiéter

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je empiétais J’empiétais sur son territoire. I was encroaching on his territory.
tu empiétais Tu empiétais sur sa liberté. You were encroaching on her freedom.
il empiétait Il empiétait sur mes droits. He was encroaching on my rights.
elle empiétait Elle empiétait sur notre espace. She was encroaching on our space.
on empiétait On empiétait sur leur domaine. We were encroaching on their domain.
nous empiétions Nous empiétions sur ses prérogatives. We were encroaching on his prerogatives.
vous empiétiez Vous empiétiez sur sa vie privée. You were encroaching on his privacy.
ils empiétaient Ils empiétaient sur nos intérêts. They were encroaching on our interests.
elles empiétaient Elles empiétaient sur notre territoire. They were encroaching on our territory.

Other Conjugations for Empiéter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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