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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb butter

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The English translation of the French verb butter is “to spread butter.” The infinitive form of the verb is “beurrer,” which is pronounced “bur-ray.”

The word “beurre,” meaning butter, comes from the Latin word “butyrum,” which is a combination of “bous” (cow) and “tyros” (cheese). This reflects the fact that butter is made from cow’s milk.

In everyday French, the verb “beurrer” is most commonly used in the imperative present tense. This tense is used to give commands or instructions. Here are three simple examples of its usage:

  1. Beurre le pain avant de le mettre au four. (Spread butter on the bread before putting it in the oven.)
  2. N’oublie pas de beurrer le moule avant d’y verser la pâte. (Don’t forget to butter the pan before pouring the batter.)
  3. Beurrons ensemble le pain et les croissants pour le petit-déjeuner. (Let’s butter the bread and croissants together for breakfast.)

Table of the L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of butter

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je beurre Beurre-moi une tartine. Butter me a slice of bread.
tu beurre Beurre bien les deux côtés. Butter both sides well.
il beurre Il beurre sa poêle. He butters his pan.
elle beurre Elle beurre ses biscuits. She is spreading butter on her cookies.
on beurre On beurre la table. We are buttering the table.
nous beurtons Beurtons nos toasts. Let’s butter our toast.
vous beurrez Beurrez vos pains. Butter your breads.
ils beurrent Ils beurrent la baguette. They are buttering the baguette.
elles beurrent Elles beurrent leur tartine. They are buttering their toast.

Other Conjugations for Butter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter  (this article)

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

   

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Butter – About the French L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense

L’impératif Présent is a mood in the French language that is used to give commands, make requests, offer advice, or express a desire in the present tense. It’s a relatively simple tense and is used to address someone directly. Let’s dive into its usage, conjugation, and interactions with other tenses:
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Usage

Giving commands

You use l’impératif présent to give direct commands or orders. It is often used in informal and formal situations to tell someone to do or not do something. For example:

   – Mange ta soupe. (Eat your soup.)
   – Ferme la porte. (Close the door.)

Making requests

You can also use the imperative to make polite requests. In this case, it is a gentler way to ask someone to do something. For example:
  
   – Parle plus lentement, s’il te plaît. (Speak more slowly, please.)

Offering advice

It’s common to use l’impératif to give advice or suggestions:
   – Étudie bien pour ton examen. (Study well for your exam.)

Expressing desires

You can express your desires or wishes using the imperative:
   – Amuse-toi bien à la fête. (Have a good time at the party.)

Conjugation Formation

To form l’impératif présent, you need to use the base form of the verb without the subject pronoun (tu, nous, vous, etc.). The conjugation varies depending on the type of verb:
Regular -ER verbs (e.g., parler)
  – Tu: Parle (speak)
  – Nous: Parlons (let’s speak)
  – Vous: Parlez (speak)
Regular -IR verbs (e.g., finir)
  – Tu: Finis (finish)
  – Nous: Finissons (let’s finish)
  – Vous: Finissez (finish)
Regular -RE verbs (e.g., vendre)
  – Tu: Vends (sell)
  – Nous: Vendons (let’s sell)
  – Vous: Vendez (sell)
Irregular verbs (e.g., être, avoir, aller)
  – Tu: Sois (be), aie (have), va (go)
  – Nous: Soyons (let’s be), ayons (let’s have), allons (let’s go)
  – Vous: Soyez (be), ayez (have), allez (go)

Interactions with other tenses

L’impératif is used exclusively in the present tense and does not interact with other tenses in the same way as indicative or subjunctive moods. 
It’s used for direct commands and requests in the here and now. However, in more formal or written contexts, you might find the imperative used with expressions like “quand tu auras fini” (when you have finished) or “dès que tu seras prêt” (as soon as you are ready), which introduce a future action while maintaining the imperative mood for the main verb.
For example:
– Quand tu auras fini ton travail, viens me voir. (When you have finished your work, come see me.)
In this case, the imperative is used in conjunction with future actions, but it’s still employed for the main verb to convey a sense of directness or immediacy.

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