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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chniquer

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The English translation of the French verb chniquer is “to pick at” or “to nitpick”. It is pronounced “she-nee-kay” in its infinitive form.

The origin of chniquer is not entirely clear, but it is believed to be a derivative of the word “chniquer” which means “to grind” or “to mash” in the Picard dialect of Northern France. It is most often used in everyday French in the L’impératif Présent tense, which is the command form of the verb.

3 examples of using chniquer in the L’impératif Présent tense are:

  1. Arrête de chniquer sur mes fautes ! (Stop nitpicking my mistakes!)
  2. Ne chnique pas sur les détails, regarde le tableau dans son ensemble. (Don’t pick at the details, look at the big picture.)
  3. Chniquez-moi encore une fois et je m’en vais ! (Nitpick at me one more time and I’m leaving!)

English translations:

  1. Stop picking at my mistakes!
  2. Don’t nitpick at the details, look at the big picture.
  3. Nitpick at me one more time and I’m leaving!

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je chnique Chnique-moi pour me réveiller. Wake me up by shaking me.
tu chnique Chnique plus fort. Shake harder.
il chnique Il chnique son cocktail. He is shaking his cocktail.
elle chnique Elle chnique son sac pour trouver ses clés. She is rummaging through her bag to find her keys.
on chnique On chnique pour se déstresser. We shake to destress.
nous chniquons Chniquons cette bouteille ensemble. Let’s shake this bottle together.
vous chniquez Chniquez la neige de vos vêtements. Shake the snow off your clothes.
ils chniquent Ils chniquent en écoutant de la musique. They are shaking while listening to music.
elles chniquent Elles chniquent pour se réchauffer. They are shaking to warm up.

Other Conjugations for Chniquer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chniquer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   

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Chniquer – 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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