Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
Introduction to the verb emprisonner
The English translation of the French verb “emprisonner” is “to imprison” or “to incarcerate.” The infinitive form “emprisonner” is pronounced as ahm-pree-zoh-nay.
The word “emprisonner” originates from the Old French word “emprisoner,” which comes from the Latin word “imprisonare,” meaning “to put in prison.” In everyday French, it is commonly used in the imparfait tense, which is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.
Here are three examples of the usage of “emprisonner” in the imparfait tense:
-
Chaque nuit, il emprisonnait les oiseaux dans des cages.
(Every night, he would imprison the birds in cages.) -
Pendant la guerre, les soldats ennemis emprisonnaient les prisonniers de guerre.
(During the war, the enemy soldiers would imprison the prisoners of war.) -
Les autorités locales emprisonnaient les personnes accusées de crimes.
(The local authorities would imprison people accused of crimes.)
English translations:
- Every night, he would imprison the birds in cages.
- During the war, the enemy soldiers would imprison the prisoners of war.
- The local authorities would imprison people accused of crimes.
Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of emprisonner
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | emprisonnais | J’emprisonnais les criminels. | I was imprisoning the criminals. |
tu | emprisonnais | Tu emprisonnais les voleurs. | You were imprisoning the thieves. |
il | emprisonnait | Il emprisonnait les coupables. | He was imprisoning the guilty. |
elle | emprisonnait | Elle emprisonnait les suspects. | She was imprisoning the suspects. |
on | emprisonnait | On emprisonnait les contrevenants. | We were imprisoning the offenders. |
nous | emprisonnions | Nous emprisonnions les malfaiteurs. | We were imprisoning the wrongdoers. |
vous | emprisonniez | Vous emprisonniez les délinquants. | You were imprisoning the delinquents. |
ils | emprisonnaient | Ils emprisonnaient les criminels. | They were imprisoning the criminals. |
elles | emprisonnaient | Elles emprisonnaient les coupables. | They were imprisoning the guilty. |
Other Conjugations for Emprisonner.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprisonner
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Emprisonner – 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
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