Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
Introduction to the verb décontracter
The English translation of the French verb “décontracter” is “to relax” or “to unwind.” The infinitive form “décontracter” is pronounced as “day-kon-trak-teh.”
The verb “décontracter” comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (indicating reversal or removal) and the verb “contracter” (meaning to contract or tense up). In everyday French, “décontracter” is most often used in the imparfait tense to describe a continuous or ongoing action in the past.
Here are three examples of the usage of “décontracter” in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:
-
Je me décontractais en lisant un livre.
(I was relaxing/unwinding by reading a book.) -
Nous nous décontractions devant la télévision tous les soirs.
(We used to relax/unwind in front of the TV every evening.) -
Elle se décontractait en prenant des longs bains.
(She would relax/unwind by taking long baths.)
In these examples, the imparfait tense conveys the idea of an ongoing action or a habitual behavior in the past.
Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of décontracter
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | décontractais | Je décontractais mes muscles. | I was relaxing my muscles. |
tu | décontractais | Tu décontractais ton visage. | You were relaxing your face. |
il | décontractait | Il décontractait son corps. | He was relaxing his body. |
elle | décontractait | Elle décontractait ses épaules. | She was relaxing her shoulders. |
on | décontractait | On décontractait notre esprit. | We were relaxing our mind. |
nous | décontractions | Nous décontractions nos muscles. | We were relaxing our muscles. |
vous | décontractiez | Vous décontractiez votre visage. | You were relaxing your face. |
ils | décontractaient | Ils décontractaient leur corps. | They were relaxing their body. |
elles | décontractaient | Elles décontractaient leurs épaules. | They were relaxing their shoulders. |
Other Conjugations for Décontracter.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
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Décontracter – About the French Imparfait Tense
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
For regular -er verbs:
For regular -ir verbs
For regular -re verbs
Common Everyday Usage Patterns
Description of Past Habits
Background Information
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
Points to Note About the Imparfait Tense
Passé Composé vs. Imparfait
Conditional
Si Clauses
Narration
I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb décontracter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!