Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empoussiérer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb empoussiérer

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The English translation of the French verb “empoussiérer” is “to dust.” The infinitive form of empoussiérer is pronounced as “ahn-poo-see-ay-zay.”

Empoussiérer is derived from the French words “en” (in) and “poussière” (dust). It refers to the action of removing dust or cleaning by dusting. In everyday French, empoussiérer is commonly used in the imparfait tense when describing habitual or ongoing actions or states in the past.

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

  1. Quand j’étais enfant, je t’aidais à empoussiérer les meubles chaque samedi.
    (When I was a child, I used to help you dust the furniture every Saturday.)

  2. Nous empoussiérions les étagères de la bibliothèque chaque semaine.
    (We used to dust the bookshelves every week.)

  3. Pendant les vacances d’été, elle empoussiérait les vieilles photos de famille.
    (During the summer holidays, she would dust the old family photos.)

Please note that the English translations provided are not exact, but they convey the meaning and tense of the sentences.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of empoussiérer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je empoussiérais J’empoussiérais les meubles. I was dusting the furniture.
tu empoussiérais Tu empoussiérais les étagères. You were dusting the shelves.
il empoussiérait Il empoussiérait la bibliothèque. He was dusting the bookshelf.
elle empoussiérait Elle empoussiérait les objets. She was dusting the objects.
on empoussiérait On empoussiérait les surfaces. We were dusting the surfaces.
nous empoussiérions Nous empoussiérions la maison. We were dusting the house.
vous empoussiériez Vous empoussiériez les meubles. You were dusting the furniture.
ils empoussiéraient Ils empoussiéraient les vitrines. They were dusting the display cases.
elles empoussiéraient Elles empoussiéraient les tableaux. They were dusting the paintings.

Other Conjugations for Empoussiérer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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