retourner imparfait conjugation
Retourner (to return, go back) in the imparfait: retournais, retournais, retournait, retournions, retourniez, retournaient.
Imparfait Imperfect
| je | |
|---|---|
| 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.
Retourner is regular here, so it is a good model for other verbs of the same class.
Retourner in a sentence
- Je retourne à Paris demain.I'm going back to Paris tomorrow.
- Elle est retournée chez elle.She went back home.
Takes être when intransitive (to go back); avoir when transitive (to turn over).
FAQ
What is the imparfait of retourner?
Retourner in the French imparfait: je retournais, tu retournais, il/elle/on retournait, nous retournions, vous retourniez, ils/elles retournaient.
Is retourner irregular in the imparfait?
No. In the imparfait retourner takes the regular endings for its verb class, so retournais 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 retourner conjugation, all tenses →
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