Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en occuper

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb en occuper

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The English translation of the French verb “en occuper” is “to take care of it.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ahn oh-koo-peh.”

The language origin of “en occuper” comes from the combination of two French words: “en” (which can mean “it” or “them”) and “occuper” (meaning “to occupy” or “to take care of”). This verb is often used in everyday French in the imparfait tense to indicate ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

Here are three examples of “en occuper” in the imparfait tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Je m’en occupais tous les jours. (I used to take care of it every day.)
  2. Pendant les vacances, il s’en occupait en mon absence. (During the holidays, he would take care of it in my absence.)
  3. Elles s’en occupaient pendant que nous étions absents. (They were taking care of it while we were away.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of en occuper

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je m’occupais Je m’occupais de mes devoirs. I was taking care of my homework.
tu t’occupais Tu t’occupais de ton travail. You were taking care of your work.
il s’occupait Il s’occupait des enfants. He was taking care of the children.
elle s’occupait Elle s’occupait de la maison. She was taking care of the house.
on s’occupait On s’occupait de la situation. We were taking care of the situation.
nous nous occupions Nous nous occupions du jardin. We were taking care of the garden.
vous vous occupiez Vous vous occupiez des invités. You were taking care of the guests.
ils s’occupaient Ils s’occupaient de leurs affaires. They were taking care of their affairs.
elles s’occupaient Elles s’occupaient de leurs animaux. They were taking care of their animals.

Other Conjugations for En Occuper.

Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb en occuper

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

Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en occuper

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

Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en occuper

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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En Occuper – 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 en occuper. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!

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