imperfect
gb/ɪmpˈɚfɪkt/ us/ɪmpˈɚfɪkt/
B1
Anglais
~ 5300
Sens
0 sens
adjective
B1
property
1
Not perfect; having faults
Not perfect; having small problems, mistakes, or weaknesses.
Schéma d’usage :
an imperfect [noun]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'imperfect' with 'not good'. 'Imperfect' usually suggests something has faults but can still be quite good or acceptable. It is also more formal than simply saying 'not perfect' or 'not very good'.
Synonymes
flawed (Emphasizes clear faults or defects, often stronger than simply 'not perfect'.)
|
defective (Often used when something does not work correctly or is broken in an important way.)
|
imprecise (Focuses on a lack of exactness or accuracy, especially in information or measurements.)
Antonymes
perfect (Describes something with no faults, completely correct, or as good as it can possibly be.)
|
flawless (Stresses the total absence of any mistakes or defects.)
Collocations
imperfect world
|imperfect system
|imperfect understanding
|imperfect solution
|imperfect copy
|imperfect knowledge
Thèmes
qualities
|evaluation
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- Our plan is still imperfect, but it's better than doing nothing.
- The system is imperfect and sometimes makes the wrong decision.
- He gave an imperfect explanation that left everyone confused.
- This is only an imperfect copy of the original painting.
- In an imperfect world, we do the best we can.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Her English is imperfect, but I can understand her.
- The report is imperfect because we did not have all the data.
- This phone is imperfect, but it was cheap.
- My memory of that day is imperfect.
- We live in an imperfect world.
adjective
technical
B2
property
2
Describing a certain past tense
In grammar, talking about a past verb form that shows an action was going on or happened many times in the past.
Schéma d’usage :
the imperfect [tense/form]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may mix up the everyday meaning of 'imperfect' ('not perfect') with its technical grammatical meaning. In grammar discussions, 'imperfect' does not mean the sentence is wrong; it names a specific past tense.
Synonymes
past continuous (In English, a common tense that often plays a similar role, though 'imperfect' is a broader grammatical term used for many languages.)
Antonymes
perfect (In grammar, refers to a tense that presents an action as completed, contrasting with the ongoing or repeated nature of the imperfect.)
Collocations
imperfect tense
|imperfect form
|Latin imperfect
|French imperfect
|use the imperfect
Thèmes
language
|education
|communication
Exemples
- In Latin, the imperfect tense describes actions that were ongoing in the past.
- The teacher asked us to change each verb into the imperfect form.
- In this language, the imperfect is used for repeated past actions.
- Spanish students often confuse the imperfect and the preterite.
- You need the imperfect tense here because the action was still in progress.
Exemples pédagogiques
- In this exercise, you must use the imperfect tense.
- The imperfect tense shows that the action was not finished.
- In French, the imperfect is very common in stories.
- We learned the imperfect form of the verb 'to be'.
- She explained how to make the imperfect in Spanish.
Nom
technical
C1
entity
3
The imperfect tense in grammar
In grammar, a past verb form that shows an action was going on or happened again and again in the past.
Schéma d’usage :
the imperfect of [verb]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes think 'the imperfect' means a bad or incorrect tense. In grammar, it is simply the name of a tense and does not say anything about quality or correctness.
Synonymes
imperfect tense (More explicit phrase for the same grammatical concept; often used in teaching materials.)
Antonymes
perfect (The grammatical perfect tense contrasts with the imperfect by presenting actions as completed.)
Collocations
the imperfect
|the imperfect of [verb]
|form the imperfect
|use the imperfect
|Latin imperfect
|Spanish imperfect
Thèmes
language
|education
|communication
Exemples
- We have not yet studied the imperfect in this course.
- What is the imperfect of the verb 'to go' in Spanish?
- In this text, the author switches between the imperfect and the perfect.
- You should use the imperfect here to describe the background action.
- The teacher asked us to write ten sentences in the imperfect.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I find the imperfect in French difficult.
- We will learn the imperfect next week.
- Can you show me the imperfect of this verb?
- They practiced the imperfect in class today.
- She wrote a story using only the imperfect.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
imperfect
API
GB/ɪmpˈɚfɪkt/
US/ɪmpˈɚfɪkt/
Syllabes et accentuation
im - per - fect (3 syllabes)
Stress on 2nd syllable (per)
Formes du mot
Adjective
- Base: imperfect
Noun
- Base: imperfect
- Plural: imperfects
Famille de mots
Expressions
imperfect competition
1/ɪmpˈɚfɪkt kˌɑmpətˈɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
Non-ideal market competition
A type of market where a few companies have power, so the situation is not like perfect competition in textbooks.
Exemples
- Most real markets show some form of imperfect competition.
- The model assumes imperfect competition among firms in the industry.
- Imperfect competition can lead to higher prices for consumers.
imperfect information
1/ɪmpˈɚfɪkt ˌɪnfɔɹmˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
Not having full information
A situation, especially in economics, where people do not know everything they need to know to make the best choice.
Exemples
- Markets with imperfect information may not work efficiently.
- The study looks at how imperfect information affects consumer decisions.
- Because of imperfect information, investors made several bad choices.
imperfect tense
1/ɪmpˈɚfɪkt tˈɛns/
fixed phrase
technical
Grammatical tense for ongoing past
A past verb form that shows an action was going on or happened again and again in the past.
Exemples
- In this chapter, we will study the imperfect tense.
- The imperfect tense is often used to describe background actions in a story.
- Some languages do not have an imperfect tense.
imperfect world
1/ɪmpˈɚfɪkt wˈɚld/
fixed phrase
A world with many faults
The real world, which has many problems and is not perfect.
Exemples
- In an imperfect world, we have to make compromises.
- She knows it's an imperfect world, but she still tries to help people.
- We do our best in this imperfect world.