Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
Introduction to the verb découper
The English translation of the French verb “découper” is “to cut” or “to carve.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form “découper” is [de.ku.pe].
“Découper” comes from the Old French word “descoper,” which means “to cut out.” It is derived from the Latin word “discooperire,” which combines “dis-” (meaning “apart”) and “cooperire” (meaning “to cover”). In everyday French, “découper” is most often used in the imparfait tense to describe repeated actions or ongoing states in the past.
Here are three simple examples of “découper” in the imparfait tense along with their English translations:
-
Quand j’étais enfant, je découpais des formes en papier.
(When I was a child, I used to cut shapes out of paper.) -
Nous découptions les légumes pour la soupe tous les soirs.
(We used to cut the vegetables for the soup every evening.) -
Pendant la fête, elle découpait des étoiles dans du carton.
(During the party, she was cutting stars out of cardboard.)
Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of découper
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | découpais | Je découpais le papier. | I was cutting the paper. |
tu | découpais | Tu découpais les légumes. | You were cutting the vegetables. |
il | découpait | Il découpait la viande. | He was cutting the meat. |
elle | découpait | Elle découpait le tissu. | She was cutting the fabric. |
on | découpait | On découpait les images. | We were cutting the pictures. |
nous | découpions | Nous découpions les cartons. | We were cutting the cardboard. |
vous | découpiez | Vous découpiez les fruits. | You were cutting the fruits. |
ils | découpaient | Ils découpaient le bois. | They were cutting the wood. |
elles | découpaient | Elles découpaient les papiers. | They were cutting the papers. |
Other Conjugations for Découper.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb découper
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
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Découper – About the French Imparfait Tense
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see our article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.
Formation of the Imparfait Tense
For regular -er verbs:
For regular -ir verbs
For regular -re verbs
Common Everyday Usage Patterns
Description of Past Habits
Background Information
Mental and Emotional States
It’s employed to express emotions, thoughts, or physical sensations in the past. For example: “J’étais content quand il est arrivé.” (I was happy when he arrived.)
Ongoing Actions
Points to Note About the Imparfait Tense
Passé Composé vs. Imparfait
Conditional
Si Clauses
Narration
I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb découper. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!