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FrenchConjugationImparfait

Prendre (to take) · Imparfait

By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated

Prendre in the French imparfait is: je prenais, tu prenais, il/elle/on prenait, nous prenions, vous preniez, ils/elles prenaient. The imparfait of prendre is regular from 'prenons' → 'pren-'. Common uses: habitual past taking, ongoing past taking, and the meal-time phrasing 'je prenais mon café' (I was having my coffee).

prendre conjugation in the Imparfait
To TakePrendre
I used to take
je prenais
you used to take
tu prenais
he/she used to take
il/elle/on prenait
we used to take
nous prenions
you used to take
vous preniez
they used to take
ils/elles prenaient
Examples

Prendre (to take) in context

Sentences that use prendre in the imparfait. Tap each to hear it.

Chaque matin je prenais le métro.

Every morning I used to take the metro.

Tu prenais ton café quand je suis arrivé.

You were having your coffee when I arrived.

Elle prenait des cours de piano enfant.

She used to take piano lessons as a child.

Nous prenions le bus ensemble à l'école.

We used to take the bus together to school.

Vous preniez vos vacances en août?

Did you take your vacations in August?

Ils prenaient souvent l'apéritif au jardin.

They often used to have aperitifs in the garden.

Tip

Working with the imparfait

The imparfait paints the background of a past scene: weather, age, habits, descriptions, ongoing actions that get interrupted. "Il faisait nuit" (it was nighttime), "j'avais cinq ans" (I was five years old), "je marchais quand tu m'as appelé" (I was walking when you called me). The imparfait is almost completely regular — the stem comes from the nous form of the present (nous parlons → je parlais), with only être being truly irregular (j'étais). The contrast with passé composé is the single most important past-tense distinction in French: imparfait = background or habitual; passé composé = completed event.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How do you conjugate prendre in the imparfait?
Prendre is regular in the imparfait: je prenais, tu prenais, il/elle/on prenait, nous prenions, vous preniez, ils/elles prenaient. Stem 'pren-' from nous form 'prenons'.
When do I use 'je prenais' instead of 'j'ai pris'?
Use 'je prenais' for habitual past taking or ongoing action: 'chaque jour, je prenais le métro' (every day, I used to take the metro). Use 'j'ai pris' for a specific completed taking: 'hier, j'ai pris le métro' (yesterday, I took the metro). 'Je prenais' also works for an interrupted ongoing action: 'je prenais mon café quand le téléphone a sonné' (I was having my coffee when the phone rang).
Why is 'je prenais' useful in storytelling?
The imparfait of prendre is a workhorse for descriptive past narration: 'il prenait son café tous les matins' (he used to have his coffee every morning). It sets up routines, habits, or background scenes. Pair it with a passé composé event to create the classic French narrative structure: imparfait for backdrop, passé composé for the disrupting event.
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More tenses of Prendre (To Take)

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Prendre (to take) · Passé Composé
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Prendre (to take) · Subjonctif

More verbs in imparfait

All tenses
Prendre (to take)
imparfait
Être (to be)
imparfait
Avoir (to have)
imparfait
Aller (to go)
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