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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb gaver

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The English translation of the French verb gaver is “to stuff” or “to force-feed”. It is pronounced as “ga-vay” in the infinitive form.

The word gaver comes from the Latin “cavare” which means “to hollow out” or “to make empty”. It entered the French language in the 12th century and was originally used in a literal sense to mean “to empty out” or “to make room”. However, over time, it took on the meaning of “to stuff” or “to force-feed”, especially in regards to animals.

In everyday French, gaver is most often used in the L’impératif Présent tense, which is the command form of the verb. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with their English translations:

  1. Gave tes légumes ! (Stuff your vegetables!) – This is a command or order given to a child to finish their vegetables.

  2. Ne me gave pas avec des excuses ! (Don’t stuff me with excuses!) – This is a figurative use of the verb, meaning “don’t try to convince me with excuses”.

  3. Gavons nos invités avec un bon repas ! (Let’s stuff our guests with a good meal!) – This is a suggestion or proposal to make a good meal for our guests.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je gave Gave-moi ce que tu as. Give me what you have.
tu gaves Ne me gaves pas avec tes mensonges. Don’t stuff me with your lies.
il gave Il gave sa bouche avec du vin. He gags his mouth with wine.
elle gave Elle gave ses enfants de bonbons. She stuffs her children with candies.
on gavons Gavons-nous de bons souvenirs. Let’s stuff ourselves with good memories.
nous gavons Gavons-nous ensemble. Let’s stuff ourselves together.
vous gavez Gavez-vous avant le repas. Stuff yourselves before the meal.
ils gavent Ils gavent leurs animaux. They stuff their animals.
elles gavent Elles gavent les invités. They stuff the guests.

Other Conjugations for Gaver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb gaver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   

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Gaver – 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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