Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décercler

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décercler

Get the imperfect (imparfait) tense conjugation of décercler. 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 “décercler” is “to remove the hoop.” The infinitive form “décercler” is pronounced as “day-sair-klay.”

“Décercler” originates from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (meaning “un-” or “to undo”) and the noun “cercler” (meaning “to hoop” or “to encircle”). Together, they form the verb “décercler,” which specifically refers to the action of taking off or removing a hoop or a circular object.

In everyday French, “décercler” is often used in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past. It can convey a sense of habitual or continuous actions.

Here are three examples of the usage of “décercler” in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Chaque matin, je décerclais les bocaux pour vérifier s’ils étaient bien hermétiques.
    (Every morning, I would remove the hoops from the jars to check if they were airtight.)

  2. Ils décerclaient les tonneaux avant de les nettoyer et de les remplir à nouveau.
    (They used to remove the hoops from the barrels before cleaning them and refilling them.)

  3. Pendant l’atelier, nous décerclions les cadres en bois pour insérer les nouvelles toiles.
    (During the workshop, we were removing the wooden hoops to insert the new canvases.)

Please note that the translations provided are not strict word-for-word translations, but rather convey the meaning and context of the sentences.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of décercler

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je décerclais Je décerclais les bocaux. I was removing the lids.
tu décerclais Tu décerclais les boîtes. You were opening the boxes.
il décerclait Il décerclait les pots. He was unsealing the jars.
elle décerclait Elle décerclait les bidons. She was uncapping the cans.
on décerclait On décerclait les récipients. We were unsealing the containers.
nous décerclions Nous décerclions les emballages. We were removing the packaging.
vous décercliez Vous décercliez les tubes. You were unsealing the tubes.
ils décerclaient Ils décerclaient les fûts. They were uncapping the barrels.
elles décerclaient Elles décerclaient les flacons. They were removing the caps from the bottles.

Other Conjugations for Décercler.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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