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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chômer

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The English translation of the French verb chômer is “to be unemployed” or “to idle”. The infinitive form is pronounced “show-may”.

The word chômer comes from the Old French word “chomir”, meaning “to rest” or “to be idle”. It can also be traced back to the Latin word “caumare”, meaning “to rest” or “to lie idle”.

In everyday French, chômer is most often used to describe a state of unemployment or idleness. In the L’impératif Présent tense, it is used to give commands or make requests.

Here are three simple examples of chômer in the L’impératif Présent tense:

  1. Chôme ! (Be unemployed!) This could be a sarcastic command given to someone who is not working or being lazy.

  2. Chômons ! (Let’s idle!) This could be a suggestion to take a break or relax.

  3. Ne chôme pas ! (Don’t be idle!) This could be a request to someone to stay busy and not waste time.

English translations:

  1. Be unemployed!
  2. Let’s idle!
  3. Don’t be idle!

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je chôme Ne chôme pas, trouve un travail! Don’t be unemployed, find a job!
tu chôme Chôme moins et profite de la vie. Work less and enjoy life.
il chôme Il ne chôme pas assez. He doesn’t work enough.
elle chôme Elle chôme depuis un an. She has been unemployed for a year.
on chôme On chôme à cause de la crise. We are unemployed because of the crisis.
nous chômons Ne chômons pas, travaillons! Let’s not be idle, let’s work!
vous chômez Chômez intelligemment. Work smartly.
ils chôment Ils chôment depuis longtemps. They have been unemployed for a long time.
elles chôment Elles chôment à cause de la pandémie. They are unemployed because of the pandemic.

Other Conjugations for Chômer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chômer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   

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Chômer – 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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