Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décolleter

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décolleter

Get the imperfect (imparfait) tense conjugation of décolleter. 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 décolleter is “to lower the neckline.” The infinitive form of décolleter is pronounced as “day-koh-leh-tay.”

Décolleter originates from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (meaning “down” or “to undo”) and the noun “collet” (meaning “collar”). It is a reflexive verb commonly used in everyday French to describe the action of undoing or lowering the neckline of a garment, typically a dress or a blouse.

Examples of décolleter in the imparfait tense:

  1. Chaque soir, elle décolletait sa robe avant de sortir. (Every evening, she would lower the neckline of her dress before going out.)
  2. Nous décolletions nos chemises pour être plus à l’aise. (We used to undo the collars of our shirts to be more comfortable.)
  3. Pendant l’été, elles décolletaient leurs blouses pour se rafraîchir. (During the summer, they would lower the necklines of their blouses to cool down.)

English translations:

  1. Every evening, she would lower the neckline of her dress before going out.
  2. We used to undo the collars of our shirts to be more comfortable.
  3. During the summer, they would lower the necklines of their blouses to cool down.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of décolleter

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je décolletais Je décolletais ma robe. I was wearing a low-cut dress.
tu décolletais Tu décolletais ton chemisier. You were wearing a low-cut blouse.
il décolletait Il décolletait sa chemise. He was wearing a low-cut shirt.
elle décolletait Elle décolletait sa robe. She was wearing a low-cut dress.
on décolletait On décolletait nos vêtements. We were wearing low-cut clothes.
nous décolletions Nous décolletions nos hauts. We were wearing low-cut tops.
vous décolletiez Vous décolletiez vos robes. You were wearing low-cut dresses.
ils décolletaient Ils décolletaient leurs chemises. They were wearing low-cut shirts.
elles décolletaient Elles décolletaient leurs robes. They were wearing low-cut dresses.

Other Conjugations for Décolleter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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