Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décharner

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décharner

Get the imperfect (imparfait) tense conjugation of décharner. 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 décharner is “to unearth” or “to dig up.” The infinitive form “décharner” is pronounced as “deh-shar-nay.”

Décharner comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (which signifies removal or separation) and the noun “charnier” (meaning mass grave). The verb décharner is often used in everyday French to describe the action of exhuming or excavating a buried body or remains.

Here are three examples of décharner in the imparfait tense along with their English translations:

  1. Chaque nuit, il décharnait les fosses pour retrouver des ossements anciens.
    (Every night, he would unearth the pits to find ancient bones.)

  2. Pendant des années, les archéologues décharnaient la région à la recherche de vestiges préhistoriques.
    (For years, archaeologists would dig up the region in search of prehistoric remains.)

  3. Quand j’étais enfant, mon grand-père me racontait comment il décharnait les tombes du cimetière pendant la guerre.
    (When I was a child, my grandfather used to tell me how he would unearth the graves in the cemetery during the war.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of décharner

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je décharnais Je décharnais le poulet. I was deboning the chicken.
tu décharnais Tu décharnais les crevettes. You were deveining the shrimp.
il décharnait Il décharnait le poisson. He was filleting the fish.
elle décharnait Elle décharnait les côtes de porc. She was trimming the pork ribs.
on décharnait On décharnait les anguilles. We were boning the eels.
nous décharnions Nous décharnions les cuisses de poulet. We were deboning the chicken thighs.
vous décharniez Vous décharniez le lapin. You were boning the rabbit.
ils décharnaient Ils décharnaient les cuisses de grenouille. They were deboning the frog legs.
elles décharnaient Elles décharnaient les cailles. They were deboning the quails.

Other Conjugations for Décharner.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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