Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décanter

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décanter

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The English translation of the French verb “décanter” is “to decant.” The infinitive form of “décanter” is pronounced as [de-kahn-te].

The word “décanter” has its origins in the Latin word “decantare,” which means “to pour off.” In everyday French, “décanter” is commonly used in the imparfait tense to describe an ongoing or habitual action in the past.

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

  1. Chaque soir, elle décantait le vin avant de le servir.
    (Every evening, she used to decant the wine before serving it.)

  2. Nous décantions toujours le jus d’orange pour enlever les pulpes.
    (We would always decant the orange juice to remove the pulp.)

  3. Pendant l’événement, ils décantaient régulièrement les bouteilles de champagne.
    (During the event, they would regularly decant the bottles of champagne.)

Note: The English translations provided are approximate and may vary based on context.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of décanter

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je décantais Je décantais le vin. I was decanting the wine.
tu décantais Tu décantais le liquide. You were decanting the liquid.
il décantait Il décantait la solution. He was decanting the solution.
elle décantait Elle décantait le mélange. She was decanting the mixture.
on décantait On décantait le jus. We were decanting the juice.
nous décantiions Nous décantiions le vin. We were decanting the wine.
vous décantiez Vous décantiez le liquide. You were decanting the liquid.
ils décantaient Ils décantaient le café. They were decanting the coffee.
elles décantaient Elles décantaient la solution. They were decanting the solution.

Other Conjugations for Décanter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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