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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb en contrebalancer

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The English translation of the French verb “en contrebalancer” is “to counterbalance.” The infinitive form “en contrebalancer” is pronounced as “ah cohn-truh-bah-lahn-say.”

The verb “en contrebalancer” is derived from the French word “contrebalance,” meaning “counterweight.” It is primarily used in everyday French to express the action of balancing or offsetting something. In the imparfait tense, it describes ongoing or habitual actions in the past.

Here are three examples of the usage of “en contrebalancer” in the imparfait tense:

  1. Je contrebalançais mes dépenses en économisant sur d’autres aspects de ma vie.
    (I used to counterbalance my expenses by saving on other aspects of my life.)

  2. Ils contrebalançaient la gravité de la situation en restant positifs.
    (They used to counterbalance the seriousness of the situation by staying positive.)

  3. Nous contrebalancions le stress du travail avec des moments de détente.
    (We used to counterbalance the work stress with moments of relaxation.)

English translations:

  1. I used to counterbalance my expenses by saving on other aspects of my life.
  2. They used to counterbalance the seriousness of the situation by staying positive.
  3. We used to counterbalance the work stress with moments of relaxation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je contrebalançais Je contrebalançais ses arguments. I was counterbalancing his arguments.
tu contrebalançais Tu contrebalançais ses opinions. You were counterbalancing his opinions.
il contrebalançait Il contrebalançait le poids. He was counterbalancing the weight.
elle contrebalançait Elle contrebalançait la pression. She was counterbalancing the pressure.
on contrebalançait On contrebalançait les effets négatifs. We were counterbalancing the negative effects.
nous contrebalancions Nous contrebalancions les désavantages. We were counterbalancing the disadvantages.
vous contrebalanciez Vous contrebalanciez les risques. You were counterbalancing the risks.
ils contrebalançaient Ils contrebalançaient les conséquences. They were counterbalancing the consequences.
elles contrebalançaient Elles contrebalançaient les forces opposées. They were counterbalancing the opposing forces.

Other Conjugations for En Contrebalancer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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En Contrebalancer – 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 contrebalancer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!

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