Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décuver

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décuver

Get the imperfect (imparfait) tense conjugation of décuver. 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 décuver is “to recover from a hangover.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form décuver is [deh-koo-veh].

The word décuver is a combination of the prefix dé- (meaning “to undo” or “to remove”) and the word cuve (meaning “vat” or “barrel”). It originated from the slang term used in the wine industry to refer to the process of emptying a vat for cleaning. Over time, décuver took on the figurative meaning of recovering from the effects of alcohol.

In everyday French, décuver in the imparfait tense is used to describe the ongoing or repeated action of recovering from a hangover in the past. It expresses an incomplete, continuous, or habitual action in the past.

Examples in the imparfait tense:

  1. Chaque dimanche matin, je décuvais avec une bonne tasse de café. (Every Sunday morning, I would recover from a hangover with a good cup of coffee.)
  2. Nous décuvions souvent après les fêtes de fin d’année. (We would often recover from hangovers after the end-of-year celebrations.)
  3. Pendant mes années d’étudiant, je décuvais régulièrement le samedi matin. (During my student years, I would regularly recover from hangovers on Saturday mornings.)

English translations:

  1. Every Sunday morning, I would recover from a hangover with a good cup of coffee.
  2. We would often recover from hangovers after the end-of-year celebrations.
  3. During my student years, I would regularly recover from hangovers on Saturday mornings.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of décuver

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je décuvais Je décuvais tous les matins. I used to recover every morning.
tu décuvais Tu décuvais rapidement. You used to recover quickly.
il décuvait Il décuvait lentement. He used to recover slowly.
elle décuvait Elle décuvait discrètement. She used to recover discreetly.
on décuvait On décuvait ensemble. We used to recover together.
nous décuvions Nous décuvions chez moi. We used to recover at my place.
vous décuviez Vous décuviez souvent. You used to recover often.
ils décuvaient Ils décuvaient après les fêtes. They used to recover after the parties.
elles décuvaient Elles décuvaient tranquillement. They used to recover calmly.

Other Conjugations for Décuver.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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