Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
Introduction to the verb démener
The English translation of the French verb démener is “to struggle” or “to strive”. The infinitive form is pronounced as “dey-muh-ney”.
Démener comes from the Old French verb “desmenir” which means “to move away” or “to get away”. It is derived from the Latin word “dis-” (apart) and “movere” (to move). In everyday French, démener is most often used in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.
Here are three simple examples of démener in the imparfait tense with their English translations:
-
Nous nous démênions pour trouver une solution.
(We were struggling to find a solution.) -
Tu te démênes toujours pour réussir.
(You were always striving to succeed.) -
Les ouvriers se démênaient afin de terminer le projet à temps.
(The workers were struggling to finish the project on time.)
Please note that the translations provided are literal and may vary depending on the context.
Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of démener
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | me démenais | Je me démenais pour réussir. | I was struggling to succeed. |
tu | te démenais | Tu te démenais pour trouver une solution. | You were trying hard to find a solution. |
il | se démenait | Il se démenait pour obtenir une promotion. | He was working hard to get a promotion. |
elle | se démenait | Elle se démenait pour aider les autres. | She was going out of her way to help others. |
on | se démenait | On se démenait pour organiser la fête. | We were putting in a lot of effort to organize the party. |
nous | nous démenions | Nous nous démenions pour sauver l’entreprise. | We were making every effort to save the company. |
vous | vous déméniez | Vous vous déméniez pour aménager dans votre nouvelle maison. | You were busy moving to your new house. |
ils | se démenaient | Ils se démenaient pour terminer le projet à temps. | They were working hard to finish the project on time. |
elles | se démenaient | Elles se démenaient pour concilier travail et famille. | They were juggling work and family. |
Other Conjugations for Démener.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb démener
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
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Démener – 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 démener. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!