Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décaféiner

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décaféiner

Get the imperfect (imparfait) tense conjugation of décaféiner. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb décaféiner is “to decaffeinate.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form décaféiner is [deh-kah-fey-neh].

Décaféiner is a compound verb derived from the combination of the prefix dé- (meaning “to remove”) and café (meaning “coffee”). Therefore, its language origin is rooted in French and specifically related to coffee-related vocabulary.

In everyday French, décaféiner in the imparfait tense is commonly used to describe a habitual or ongoing action in the past. It denotes the process of removing caffeine from coffee or other beverages.

Here are three simple examples of décaféiner in the imparfait tense with their translations:

  1. Chaque matin, je décaféinais mon café. (Every morning, I would decaffeinate my coffee.)
  2. Quand j’étais enceinte, je décaféinais toujours mon thé. (When I was pregnant, I would always decaffeinate my tea.)
  3. Nous décaféinions nos boissons pour éviter l’excès de caféine. (We used to decaffeinate our drinks to avoid excessive caffeine.)

Note: The translations provided are interpretations based on the context and may vary slightly depending on the specific context in which the verb is used.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of décaféiner

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je décaféinais Je décaféinais mon café. I was decaffeinating my coffee.
tu décaféinais Tu décaféinais ta tasse. You were decaffeinating your cup.
il décaféinait Il décaféinait son expresso. He was decaffeinating his espresso.
elle décaféinait Elle décaféinait sa boisson. She was decaffeinating her drink.
on décaféinait On décaféinait nos cafés. We were decaffeinating our coffees.
nous décaféinions Nous décaféinions nos thés. We were decaffeinating our teas.
vous décaféiniez Vous décaféiniez vos boissons. You were decaffeinating your drinks.
ils décaféinaient Ils décaféinaient leurs cafés. They were decaffeinating their coffees.
elles décaféinaient Elles décaféinaient leurs tasses. They were decaffeinating their cups.

Other Conjugations for Décaféiner.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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