Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décerveler

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décerveler

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The English translation of the French verb décerveler is “to brainwash” or “to remove someone’s brain.” The infinitive form of décerveler is pronounced as “day-sehr-vuh-leh.”

The word décerveler is derived from the French noun “cerveau,” which means “brain.” The prefix “dé-” indicates a removal or negation, and the suffix “-eler” is a verbal ending that often denotes the causative form. In everyday French, décerveler is used figuratively to describe a process of manipulating or conditioning someone’s mind, often through propaganda or indoctrination.

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

  1. Quand j’étais jeune, on me décervelait à l’école tous les jours.
    (When I was young, I was getting brainwashed at school every day.)

  2. Les médias de l’époque décervelaient la population avec leur propagande.
    (The media of that time was brainwashing the population with their propaganda.)

  3. Pendant la guerre, les soldats étaient décervelés pour les rendre obéissants.
    (During the war, soldiers were brainwashed to make them obedient.)

Note: The imparfait tense is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, providing background information or setting the scene.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of décerveler

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je décervelais Je décervelais mes idées. I was brainwashing my ideas.
tu décervelais Tu décervelais ton esprit. You were brainwashing your mind.
il décervelait Il décervelait les gens. He was brainwashing people.
elle décervelait Elle décervelait ses disciples. She was brainwashing her followers.
on décervelait On décervelait tout le monde. We were brainwashing everyone.
nous décervelions Nous décervelions nos adversaires. We were brainwashing our opponents.
vous décerveliez Vous décerveliez vos ennemis. You were brainwashing your enemies.
ils décervelaient Ils décervelaient leurs partisans. They were brainwashing their supporters.
elles décervelaient Elles décervelaient leurs victimes. They were brainwashing their victims.

Other Conjugations for Décerveler.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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