arriver imparfait conjugation
Arriver (to arrive) in the imparfait: arrivais, arrivais, arrivait, arrivions, arriviez, arrivaient.
Imparfait Imperfect
| j' | |
|---|---|
| tu | |
| il/elle/on | |
| nous | |
| vous | |
| ils/elles |
ending regular · irr breaks the pattern · tap a form to hear it
When to use the imparfait
The imparfait describes the past as background: habits (“used to”), ongoing actions (“was doing”), descriptions and states. Être is the only verb with an irregular imparfait stem (ét-).
How it is formed
Take the nous form of the present, drop -ons and add ais, ais, ait, ions, iez, aient: nous finissons → je finissais.
Arriver is regular here, so it is a good model for other verbs of the same class.
Arriver in a sentence
- Le train arrive à midi.The train arrives at noon.
- Elle est arrivée hier soir.She arrived last night.
Takes être in passé composé; also means 'to happen' (qu'est-ce qui arrive?).
FAQ
What is the imparfait of arriver?
Arriver in the French imparfait: j' arrivais, tu arrivais, il/elle/on arrivait, nous arrivions, vous arriviez, ils/elles arrivaient.
Is arriver irregular in the imparfait?
No. In the imparfait arriver takes the regular endings for its verb class, so arrivais follows the same pattern as any regular verb.
When do you use the French imparfait?
The imparfait describes the past as background: habits (“used to”), ongoing actions (“was doing”), descriptions and states. Être is the only verb with an irregular imparfait stem (ét-).
How is the imparfait formed?
Take the nous form of the present, drop -ons and add ais, ais, ait, ions, iez, aient: nous finissons → je finissais.
Full arriver conjugation, all tenses →
Drill it with flashcards →