Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empiler

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb empiler

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The English translation of the French verb “empiler” is “to stack” or “to pile up”. The infinitive form of “empiler” is pronounced as ahm-pee-leh.

The word “empiler” originates from the Latin verb “pilare”, which means “to pile up”. It is commonly used in everyday French to describe the action of stacking or piling things on top of each other. It can be used literally, to refer to physical objects being stacked, or figuratively, to describe ideas, tasks, or problems accumulating.

Examples of “empiler” in the imparfait tense:

  1. Chaque soir, je passais des heures à empiler les livres sur mon bureau. (Every evening, I used to spend hours stacking books on my desk.)
  2. Les enfants s’amusaient à empiler les blocs de construction pour construire une tour. (The children were having fun stacking building blocks to build a tower.)
  3. Pendant l’épidémie, les assiettes sales s’empilaient dans l’évier, car nous ne pouvions pas les laver. (During the epidemic, the dirty dishes would pile up in the sink as we couldn’t wash them.)

English translations:

  1. Every evening, I used to spend hours stacking books on my desk.
  2. The children were having fun stacking building blocks to build a tower.
  3. During the epidemic, the dirty dishes would pile up in the sink as we couldn’t wash them.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of empiler

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je empilais J’empilais les livres. I was stacking the books.
tu empilais Tu empilais les assiettes. You were piling up the plates.
il empilait Il empilait les boîtes. He was stacking the boxes.
elle empilait Elle empilait les vêtements. She was stacking the clothes.
on empilait On empilait les chaises. We were stacking the chairs.
nous empilions Nous empilions les cartons. We were stacking the boxes.
vous empiliez Vous empiliez les objets. You were piling up the objects.
ils empilaient Ils empilaient les bûches. They were stacking the logs.
elles empilaient Elles empilaient les briques. They were stacking the bricks.

Other Conjugations for Empiler.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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