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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb embêter

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The English translation of the French verb embêter is “to bother” or “to annoy”. It is pronounced as “ahm-be-tay”.

The language origin of embêter comes from the Old French word “embos”, meaning “to enclose or perplex”. It evolved into the modern French word “embêter”, with the additional meaning of “to bother or annoy”.

In everyday French, embêter is most often used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense to express a hypothetical or uncertain action or situation in the past. This tense is formed by using the present subjunctive form of the verb “être” or “avoir”, followed by the past participle of the verb.

Three simple examples of using embêter in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense are:

  1. Il fallait que je ne l’embête pas. (It was necessary that I not bother him/her.)
  2. J’aurais aimé que tu ne m’embêtes pas avec ce sujet. (I would have liked for you to not bother me with this topic.)
  3. Il était possible que je les embête en leur demandant de l’aide. (It was possible that I would bother them by asking for their help.)

English translations:

  1. It was necessary that I not bother him/her.
  2. I would have liked for you to not bother me with this topic.
  3. It was possible that I would bother them by asking for their help.

Table of the Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of embêter

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je embêtasse Il serait énervé si je l’embêtasse. He would be annoyed if I bothered him.
tu embêtasses Pourquoi tu embêtasses ta sœur comme ça ? Why are you bothering your sister like that?
il embêtât Il serait en colère si il embêtât ses collègues. He would be angry if he bothered his colleagues.
elle embêtât Elle serait déçue si elle embêtât encore son frère. She would be disappointed if she bothered her brother again.
on embêtât Si on embêtât les autres, ça ne résoudrait rien. If one bothered others, it wouldn’t solve anything.
nous embêtassions Si nous embêtassions nos amis, ils ne nous parleraient plus. If we bothered our friends, they wouldn’t talk to us anymore.
vous embêtassiez Si vous embêtassiez le professeur, vous auriez des problèmes. If you bothered the teacher, you would have problems.
ils embêtassent S’ils embêtassent encore leur chien, ils perdraient un bon compagnon. If they bothered their dog again, they would lose a good companion.
elles embêtassent Si elles embêtassent moins, elles se feraient moins de soucis. If they bothered less, they would worry less.

Other Conjugations for Embêter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embêter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embêter (this article)

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

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

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Embêter – About the French Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense

The French Subjonctif Imparfait, also known as the imperfect subjunctive, is a verb tense used to express actions, states, or conditions that are uncertain, subjective, or hypothetical in the past. It is used in a variety of situations, including wishes, doubts, emotions, and polite requests, and often occurs in dependent clauses following certain expressions and conjunctions.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

To form the Subjonctif Imparfait, you typically start with the third person plural (ils/elles) form of the verb in the imparfait (imperfect) tense. Then, you remove the -ent ending and add the appropriate endings:

– For regular -er verbs: je -sse, tu -sses, il/elle/on -t, nous -ssions, vous -ssiez, ils/elles -ssent.
– For regular -ir and -re verbs: je -sse, tu -sses, il/elle/on -t, nous -ssions, vous -ssiez, ils/elles -ssent.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

1. Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty: The Subjonctif Imparfait is used to express doubt or uncertainty about something that happened in the past.

Example: Il doutait qu’elle vînt à la fête. (He doubted that she came to the party.)

2. Wishes and Desires: It is used to express wishes or desires in the past.

Example: J’aurais aimé que tu fusses là. (I would have liked you to be there.)

3. Hypothetical Scenarios: The Subjonctif Imparfait is employed in hypothetical situations in the past.

Example: Si j’eusse su, j’aurais agi différemment. (If I had known, I would have acted differently.)
4. Polite Requests and Suggestions: It is used to make polite requests and suggestions in a formal or polite tone.

Example: Il souhaitait que vous vinssiez lui rendre visite. (He wished that you would come to visit him.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Subjonctif Présent

The Subjonctif Imparfait is often used in dependent clauses with the Subjonctif Présent in the main clause, especially in complex sentences.

Example: Il faut que tu manges bien pour que tu aies de l’énergie. (You need to eat well so that you have energy.)

Indicatif Passé Composé

The Subjonctif Imparfait can be used alongside the Indicatif Passé Composé to indicate a contrast between a factual event and a hypothetical one.

Example: Il est parti avant que tu ne fusses arrivé. (He left before you arrived.)

Conditional

The Subjonctif Imparfait is often used with the Conditional to express unreal or hypothetical situations in the past.

Example: J’aurais pu le faire si j’eusse eu plus de temps. (I could have done it if I had had more time.)

Conditional Perfect

It can also be used with the Conditional Perfect to express unreal or hypothetical past events that would have occurred before other past events.

Example: J’aurais su s’il eût partagé l’information. (I would have known if he had shared the information.)

Summary

The Subjonctif Imparfait is a relatively complex tense, and its usage depends on the context and the verbs involved. It is essential to practice and become familiar with common expressions and contexts where this tense is appropriate to use it effectively in everyday French communication.

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

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