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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb imaginer

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The English translation of the French verb “imaginer” is “to imagine.” The infinitive form of “imaginer” is pronounced as “ee-ma-zhee-nay.”

The verb “imaginer” is derived from the Latin word “imaginare,” meaning “to form a mental picture.” In everyday French, it is commonly used in the present and imperfect tenses to express the act of imagining or picturing something. However, the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past) is rarely used in everyday spoken French, as it is considered more formal and typically found in written literature or formal contexts.

Three simple examples of “imaginer” in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations, are:

  1. J’imaginai une vie meilleure. (I imagined a better life.)
  2. Elle imagina une histoire fantastique. (She imagined a fantastic story.)
  3. Ils imaginèrent un plan ingénieux. (They imagined a clever plan.)

Please note that while these examples showcase the Passé Simple tense, it is more common to use the present or imperfect tenses when expressing imagination in everyday French.

Table of the Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of imaginer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je imaginai J’imaginai une histoire. I imagined a story.
Tu imaginas Tu imaginas la solution. You imagined the solution.
Il imagina Il imagina une nouvelle vie. He imagined a new life.
Elle imagina Elle imagina un monde meilleur. She imagined a better world.
On imagina On imagina une excuse. One imagined an excuse.
Nous imaginâmes Nous imaginâmes un plan. We imagined a plan.
Vous imaginâtes Vous imaginâtes une réponse. You imagined an answer.
Ils imaginèrent Ils imaginèrent la scène. They imagined the scene.
Elles imaginèrent Elles imaginèrent un avenir radieux. They (feminine) imagined a bright future.

Other Conjugations for Imaginer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imaginer

Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imaginer (You’re reading it right now!)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Imaginer – About the French Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense

The French Passé Simple, also known as the Simple Past or Preterite, is a past tense used in written French to describe completed actions that took place at a specific point in the past.
It is not commonly used in everyday spoken language, where the Passé Composé is the preferred past tense. The Passé Simple is mainly found in literature, formal writing, and historical contexts. It has a somewhat limited use in modern French, and its conjugation can be complex.  
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see our article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

The Passé Simple is formed by conjugating the verb according to its specific endings for regular and irregular verbs. The endings typically vary based on the verb group (i.e., -er, -ir, or -re). For example:
   – For regular -er verbs (e.g., manger, parler): Remove the -er ending and add appropriate endings, like -ai, -as, -a, -âmes, -âtes, -èrent.
   – For regular -ir verbs (e.g., finir, choisir): Remove the -ir ending and add endings like -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent.
   – For regular -re verbs (e.g., vendre, attendre): Remove the -re ending and add endings like -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent.

Usage

Narration

The Passé Simple is commonly used in literature to describe past events in a narrative or storytelling context.

Historical Context

It can be used in historical writing or documents to discuss events that took place in the past.
Formal Writing
In formal or academic writing, especially in essays or reports, you might encounter the Passé Simple.

Interactions with other tenses

Passé Composé

In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé is the go-to tense for describing completed actions in the past. The Passé Simple is not commonly used in spoken language and is often replaced by the Passé Composé.

Imparfait

While the Passé Simple focuses on completed actions in the past, the Imparfait is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. They can sometimes be used together to provide a more detailed past narrative. For example, “Il lisait un livre quand il reçut un appel.” (He was reading a book when he received a call).

Conditional and Subjunctive

The Passé Simple can also be found in the conditional and subjunctive moods in formal writing. For instance, “Il faudrait qu’il partît” (He should leave, subjunctive).

Summary

The French Passé Simple is primarily used in formal or literary contexts, and its conjugation can be quite complex. In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé is the preferred past tense for describing completed actions.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb imaginer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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