Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
Introduction to the verb désespérer
The English translation of the French verb “désespérer” is “to despair”. The pronunciation of the infinitive form “désespérer” is as follows: [day-zeh-speh-ray].
The word “désespérer” has its origins in the Latin word “desperare”, meaning “to lose hope”. In everyday French, it is commonly used in the imparfait tense to express ongoing or repeated despair in the past.
Here are three examples of the usage of “désespérer” in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:
- Je désespérais de trouver un emploi. (I was despairing about finding a job.)
- Tu désespérais de le voir arriver. (You were despairing about seeing him arrive.)
- Nous désespérions de gagner le match. (We were despairing about winning the game.)
These examples demonstrate the use of “désespérer” in the imparfait tense to express a continuous state of despair in the past.
Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of désespérer
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | désespérais | Je désespérais de trouver une solution. | I was despairing of finding a solution. |
tu | désespérais | Tu désespérais devant la situation. | You were despairing in front of the situation. |
il | désespérait | Il désespérait de réussir. | He was despairing of succeeding. |
elle | désespérait | Elle désespérait de le voir partir. | She was despairing to see him leave. |
on | désespérait | On désespérait de trouver une issue. | We were despairing of finding a way out. |
nous | désespérions | Nous désespérions face à l’adversité. | We were despairing in the face of adversity. |
vous | désespériez | Vous désespériez de le convaincre. | You were despairing of convincing him. |
ils | désespéraient | Ils désespéraient de retrouver leur chemin. | They were despairing of finding their way back. |
elles | désespéraient | Elles désespéraient de recevoir des nouvelles. | They were despairing of receiving news. |
Other Conjugations for Désespérer.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥
Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the désespérer imparfait tense conjugation!
Désespérer – 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 désespérer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!