Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déballonner

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The English translation of the French verb “déballonner” is “to deflate” or “to let the air out of.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form “déballonner” is as follows: day-bah-loh-nay.

The verb “déballonner” comes from the combination of two words: “dé-” (a prefix meaning “to undo” or “to remove”) and “ballonner” (a derivative of “ballon,” meaning “balloon”). It is most often used in everyday French to refer to the action of deflating or letting the air out of something, primarily balloons.

Here are three simple examples of “déballonner” used in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Chaque année, lors de son anniversaire, elle déballonnait tous les ballons. (Every year, on her birthday, she would deflate all the balloons.)
  2. Quand j’étais enfant, je déballonnais mes ballons pour les réutiliser. (When I was a child, I would let the air out of my balloons to reuse them.)
  3. Les enfants déballonnaient les ballons après la fête. (The children were deflating the balloons after the party.)

Note: In the examples, the verb “déballonner” is conjugated in the imparfait tense to indicate an ongoing or repeated action in the past. The translations may vary slightly based on context.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of déballonner

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je déballonnais Je déballonnais les cadeaux. I was unwrapping the gifts.
tu déballonnais Tu déballonnais rapidement. You were unwrapping quickly.
il déballonnait Il déballonnait le ballon. He was deflating the balloon.
elle déballonnait Elle déballonnait avec précaution. She was deflating carefully.
on déballonnait On déballonnait les ballons. We were deflating the balloons.
nous déballonnions Nous déballonnions les objets. We were deflating the objects.
vous déballonniez Vous déballonniez les jouets. You were deflating the toys.
ils déballonnaient Ils déballonnaient les ballons. They were deflating the balloons.
elles déballonnaient Elles déballonnaient les cadeaux. They were unwrapping the gifts.

Other Conjugations for Déballonner.

Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner (You’re reading it right now!)

Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déballonner

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Déballonner – About the French Imparfait Tense

The French imparfait tense, often called the imperfect tense in English, is used to describe actions or states in the past. It’s primarily used to provide background information, set the scene, or describe habitual or ongoing actions in the past.

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

To form the imparfait tense in French, you typically take the present tense nous form of the verb, drop the -ons ending, and add specific endings based on the verb group (regular -er, -ir, -re verbs) or use irregular forms for certain verbs.  

For regular -er verbs:

Take the infinitive form (e.g., parler, finir, rendre) Remove the -er ending Add the imparfait endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient 

For regular -ir verbs

Take the infinitive form (e.g., choisir, grandir, finir) Remove the -ir ending Add the imparfait endings: -issais, -issais, -issait, -issions, -issiez, -issaient 

For regular -re verbs

Take the infinitive form (e.g., vendre, attendre, entendre) Remove the -re ending Add the imparfait endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Description of Past Habits

The imparfait is often used to describe habitual actions or situations in the past. For example: “Quand j’étais enfant, je jouais au football tous les jours.” (When I was a child, I used to play football every day.) 

Background Information

It’s used to provide background information or set the stage for a main event in the past. For instance: “Il faisait beau ce jour-là.” (The weather was nice that day.) 

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

The imparfait describes actions that were in progress or happening when something else occurred in the past. For instance: “Je lisais un livre quand le téléphone a sonné.” (I was reading a book when the phone rang.)

Points to Note About the Imparfait Tense

Passé Composé vs. Imparfait

The imparfait and passé composé (a compound past tense) are often used together to express the completion of an action in the past (passé composé) and provide context or background (imparfait). For example: “Il regardait la télévision quand son ami est arrivé.” (He was watching TV when his friend arrived.) 

Conditional

The imparfait is used as the base for forming the conditional mood in French. For instance, “Je mangerais” (I would eat) is formed from “je mangeais” (I was eating). 

Si Clauses

In hypothetical or “if” clauses (si clauses), the imparfait is often used to express a condition in the past. For example: “Si j’avais de l’argent, j’achèterais une nouvelle voiture.” (If I had money, I would buy a new car.) 

Narration

In storytelling or writing, the imparfait is frequently used to set the scene and describe ongoing actions while the passé composé is used for specific events or actions that interrupted the ongoing ones.
Understanding the French imperfect tense is crucial for effective communication in French. Without it, your conversations will always live in the present!

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb déballonner. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!

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