Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décadrer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décadrer

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The English translation of the French verb décadrer is “to unframe” or “to take out of frame.” The infinitive form of décadrer is pronounced as “day-kad-ray.”

Décadrer is derived from the prefix “dé-” (meaning “un-” or “de-“) and the noun “cadre” (meaning “frame”). It is primarily used in the context of photography or cinematography to describe the action of removing or adjusting the framing of a picture or video.

In the imparfait tense, décadrer is often used to describe an ongoing or habitual action in the past. Here are three simple examples of décadrer used in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Chaque fois que je prenais des photos, je décadrais systématiquement. (Every time I took photos, I would consistently unframe them.)
  2. Quand nous étions jeunes, nous décadrions toutes nos vidéos pour donner un effet artistique. (When we were young, we used to unframe all our videos to give them an artistic effect.)
  3. Elle décadrait souvent ses photos pour créer des compositions audacieuses. (She would often unframe her photos to create bold compositions.)

Note: The translations provided are approximate to capture the meaning of the sentences in English.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of décadrer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je décadais Je décadais la photo. I was misaligning the picture.
tu décadais Tu décadais les tableaux. You were misaligning the paintings.
il décadrait Il décadrait la scène. He was misaligning the scene.
elle décadrait Elle décadrait les images. She was misaligning the images.
on décadrait On décadrait les photos. We were misaligning the photos.
nous décadrions Nous décadrions les illustrations. We were misaligning the illustrations.
vous décadriez Vous décadriez les affiches. You were misaligning the posters.
ils décadraient Ils décadraient les gravures. They were misaligning the engravings.
elles décadraient Elles décadraient les portraits. They were misaligning the portraits.

Other Conjugations for Décadrer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Décadrer – 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 décadrer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!

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