essayer imparfait conjugation
Essayer (to try) in the imparfait: essayais, essayais, essayait, essayions, essayiez, essayaient.
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.
Essayer is regular here, so it is a good model for other verbs of the same class.
Essayer in a sentence
- J'essaie de comprendre.I am trying to understand.
- Elle a essayé le nouveau restaurant.She tried the new restaurant.
Stem change: y→i before silent e (j'essaie/j'essaye both accepted).
FAQ
What is the imparfait of essayer?
Essayer in the French imparfait: j' essayais, tu essayais, il/elle/on essayait, nous essayions, vous essayiez, ils/elles essayaient.
Is essayer irregular in the imparfait?
No. In the imparfait essayer takes the regular endings for its verb class, so essayais 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 essayer conjugation, all tenses →
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