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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb imprégner

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The English translation of the French verb “imprégner” is “to impregnate” or “to soak in.” The infinitive form “imprégner” is pronounced as “im-prey-ney.”

Imprégner originated from the Latin verb “imprægnare,” meaning “to make pregnant.” In everyday French, it is often used to express the action of soaking or saturating something with a substance or to describe a strong influence or impact on someone or something.

In the Passé Simple tense, which is mainly used in written French or formal contexts, three simple examples of the usage of “imprégner” would be:

  1. L’odeur de fleurs imprégna l’air. (The smell of flowers impregnated the air.)
  2. La culture de cette région s’imprégna profondément en moi. (The culture of this region deeply soaked into me.)
  3. La musique classique s’imprégna dans son esprit dès son enfance. (Classical music soaked into his mind from his childhood.)

These examples illustrate how “imprégner” is used to describe the process of something being saturated, soaked, or deeply influencing or permeating a person, thing, or environment.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je imprégnai Je m’imprégnai de l’odeur. I impregnated myself with the smell.
Tu imprégnas Tu t’imprégnas de ses paroles. You impregnated yourself with his words.
Il imprégna Il s’imprégna de la culture locale. He impregnated himself with the local culture.
Elle imprégna Elle s’imprégna de la musique. She impregnated herself with the music.
On imprégna On s’imprégna de la nature. One impregnated oneself with the nature.
Nous imprégnâmes Nous nous imprégnâmes de l’histoire. We impregnated ourselves with the history.
Vous imprégnâtes Vous vous imprégnâtes de l’atmosphère. You impregnated yourselves with the atmosphere.
Ils imprégnèrent Ils s’imprégnèrent des traditions. They impregnated themselves with the traditions.
Elles imprégnèrent Elles s’imprégnèrent de l’art. They (feminine) impregnated themselves with the art.

Other Conjugations for Imprégner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imprégner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Imprégner – 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 imprégner. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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