Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empoissonner

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb empoissonner

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The English translation of the French verb empoissonner is “to poison with fish” or “to stock with fish.” The infinitive form, empoissonner, is pronounced as “ahm-pwah-sow-nay.”

Empoisonner comes from the combination of the prefix “en-” (meaning “in” or “into”) and the noun “poisson” (meaning “fish”). It is most commonly used in everyday French to describe the act of introducing or placing fish into a body of water, such as a lake, river, or aquarium, with the intention of stocking or replenishing the fish population.

Here are three simple examples of empoissonner in the imparfait tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Chaque année, nous empoissonnions la rivière avec des truites. (Every year, we used to stock the river with trout.)
  2. Pendant notre séjour au lac, nous empoissonnions régulièrement l’étang voisin. (During our stay at the lake, we would regularly stock the nearby pond.)
  3. Les pêcheurs locaux empoissonnaient souvent le lac pour encourager la reproduction des poissons. (The local fishermen would often stock the lake to encourage fish reproduction.)

Note: The imparfait tense is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of empoissonner

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je empoisonnais J’empoisonnais les souris. I was poisoning the mice.
tu empoisonnais Tu empoisonnais les poissons. You were poisoning the fish.
il empoisonnait Il empoisonnait les oiseaux. He was poisoning the birds.
elle empoisonnait Elle empoisonnait les insectes. She was poisoning the insects.
on empoisonnait On empoisonnait la nourriture. We were poisoning the food.
nous empoisonnions Nous empoisonnions les rats. We were poisoning the rats.
vous empoisonniez Vous empoisonniez les serpents. You were poisoning the snakes.
ils empoisonnaient Ils empoisonnaient les animaux. They were poisoning the animals.
elles empoisonnaient Elles empoisonnaient les plantes. They were poisoning the plants.

Other Conjugations for Empoissonner.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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