Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décaniller

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décaniller

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The English translation of the French verb “décaniller” is “to remove the pins from.” The infinitive form of décaniller is pronounced as [de-ka-nee-yay].

The language origin of décaniller comes from two French words: “dé-” (a prefix meaning “to undo” or “to remove”) and “canille” (a term used in carpentry for wooden pegs or pins). Therefore, décaniller specifically refers to the action of removing these wooden pegs.

In everyday French, décaniller is often used in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. It can be used metaphorically to express the idea of unraveling or falling apart.

Here are three examples of décaniller used in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Chaque fois qu’il déménageait, il décanillait les meubles et les reconstruisait dans sa nouvelle maison.
    (Every time he moved, he would remove the pins from the furniture and reconstruct them in his new house.)

  2. Les enfants décanillaient toujours les puzzles et les remettaient en désordre.
    (The children would always remove the pins from the puzzles and put them back in disarray.)

  3. Pendant l’orage, le vent décanillait les volets de la maison.
    (During the storm, the wind would remove the pins from the shutters of the house.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of décaniller

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je décanillais Je me décanillais. I was bailing out.
tu décanillais Tu te décanillais. You were bailing out.
il décanillait Il se décanillait. He was bailing out.
elle décanillait Elle se décanillait. She was bailing out.
on décanillait On se décanillait. We were bailing out.
nous décanillions Nous nous décanillions. We were bailing out.
vous décanilliez Vous vous décanilliez. You were bailing out.
ils décanillaient Ils se décanillaient. They were bailing out.
elles décanillaient Elles se décanillaient. They were bailing out.

Other Conjugations for Décaniller.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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