Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décolérer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décolérer

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The English translation of the French verb décolérer is “to calm down” or “to cool off”. The pronunciation of the infinitive form “décolérer” is [de-ko-leh-ray].

Décolérer originates from the combination of the prefix “dé-,” indicating a reversal of action, and the verb “colère,” meaning “anger.” It is most often used in everyday French in the imparfait tense to describe an ongoing state of calming down or becoming less angry in the past.

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

  1. Je me décolérais quand j’ai reçu une lettre d’excuses. (I was calming down when I received an apology letter.)
  2. Tu te décolérais chaque fois que quelqu’un te contredisait. (You were cooling off every time someone contradicted you.)
  3. Ils se décoléraient lentement après l’incident. (They were gradually calming down after the incident.)

Remember that while these translations use the simple past tense in English, the imparfait tense in French indicates an ongoing or repeated action in the past.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of décolérer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je décolérais Je décolérais facilement. I used to get angry easily.
tu décolérais Tu décolérais souvent. You used to get angry often.
il décolérait Il décolérait rapidement. He used to get angry quickly.
elle décolérait Elle décolérait sans raison. She used to get angry for no reason.
on décolérait On décolérait ensemble. We used to get angry together.
nous décolérions Nous décolérions trop souvent. We used to get angry too often.
vous décolériez Vous décolériez facilement. You used to get angry easily.
ils décoléraient Ils décoléraient pour un rien. They used to get angry over nothing.
elles décoléraient Elles décoléraient sans cesse. They used to get angry constantly.

Other Conjugations for Décolérer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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