Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décambuter

Introduction to the verb décambuter

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The English translation of the French verb décambuter is “to fall off a bike or a horse.” The infinitive form décambuter is pronounced as “day-kahm-buh-tay.”

Décambuter is a colloquial word derived from a combination of the words décamper (to run away) and tomber (to fall). It is most often used in everyday French language in the imparfait tense to describe an ongoing or repeated action in the past.

Here are three simple examples of décambuter used in the imparfait tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Quand j’étais enfant, je décambutais souvent de mon vélo.
    (When I was a child, I used to fall off my bike often.)

  2. Pendant nos promenades à cheval, nous décambutions régulièrement.
    (During our horse rides, we would often fall off.)

  3. Tu décambutais à chaque fois que tu montais à cheval.
    (You would fall off every time you rode a horse.)

Please note that décambuter is a colloquial expression and may not be commonly used in formal or written French.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of décambuter

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je décambutais Je décambutais souvent. I used to décambuter often.
tu décambutais Tu décambutais avec moi. You used to décambuter with me.
il décambutait Il décambutait rapidement. He used to décambuter quickly.
elle décambutait Elle décambutait avec joie. She used to décambuter with joy.
on décambutait On décambutait sans relâche. We used to décambuter tirelessly.
nous décambutions Nous décambutions ensemble. We used to décambuter together.
vous décambutiez Vous décambutiez avec style. You used to décambuter with style.
ils décambutaient Ils décambutaient en silence. They used to décambuter silently.
elles décambutaient Elles décambutaient en rythme. They used to décambuter in rhythm.

Other Conjugations for Décambuter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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