Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb défeuiller

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb défeuiller

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The English translation of the French verb défeuiller is “to leaf through” or “to flick through”. The infinitive form “défeuiller” is pronounced as day-fœy-yay.

Défeuiller originates from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (which indicates removal or separation) and the noun “feuille” (meaning “leaf” in English). It is often used in everyday French in the imparfait tense to describe the action of flipping through the pages of a book, magazine, or any document with multiple pages.

Here are three examples of défeuiller in the imparfait tense:

  1. Chaque soir, je défeuillais les pages de mon livre avant de m’endormir.
    (Every evening, I would leaf through the pages of my book before falling asleep.)

  2. Pendant les pauses, nous défeuillions les magazines dans la salle d’attente du médecin.
    (During the breaks, we would flick through the magazines in the doctor’s waiting room.)

  3. Quand j’étais enfant, je défeuillais les albums de photos de ma famille.
    (When I was a child, I used to leaf through the photo albums of my family.)

English translations:

  1. Every evening, I would leaf through the pages of my book before falling asleep.
  2. During the breaks, we would flick through the magazines in the doctor’s waiting room.
  3. When I was a child, I used to leaf through the photo albums of my family.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of défeuiller

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je défeuillais Je défeuillais l’arbre. I was removing the leaves from the tree.
tu défeuillais Tu défeuillais le bouquet. You were removing the leaves from the bouquet.
il défeuillait Il défeuillait la plante. He was removing the leaves from the plant.
elle défeuillait Elle défeuillait le rosier. She was removing the leaves from the rose bush.
on défeuillait On défeuillait les arbres. We were removing the leaves from the trees.
nous défeuillions Nous défeuillions les branches. We were removing the leaves from the branches.
vous défeuilliez Vous défeuilliez les fleurs. You were removing the leaves from the flowers.
ils défeuillaient Ils défeuillaient les buissons. They were removing the leaves from the bushes.
elles défeuillaient Elles défeuillaient les plantes. They were removing the leaves from the plants.

Other Conjugations for Défeuiller.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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