Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déficher

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déficher

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The English translation of the French verb déficher is “to unfile” or “to remove from a file.” The infinitive form “déficher” is pronounced as “day-fee-shay.”

The word “déficher” is derived from the prefix “dé-” meaning “to undo” or “to remove” and the verb “ficher” which means “to file” or “to record.” It is most often used in everyday French in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing past actions or states.

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

  1. Je défichais les documents de l’ancien employé.
    (I was un-filing the documents of the former employee.)
  2. Tu défichais les cartes de bibliothèque.
    (You were removing the library cards.)
  3. Il défichait les dossiers médicaux du système.
    (He was removing the medical records from the system.)

In these sentences, the verb “déficher” in the imparfait tense describes an ongoing action or state of un-filing or removing documents, cards, or files.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of déficher

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je défichais Je défichais les dossiers. I was removing the files.
tu défichais Tu défichais les cartes. You were unlisting the cards.
il défichait Il défichait les suspects. He was deleting the suspects.
elle défichait Elle défichait les données. She was erasing the data.
on défichait On défichait les noms. We were removing the names.
nous défichions Nous défichions les numéros. We were unlisting the numbers.
vous défichiez Vous défichiez les informations. You were deleting the information.
ils défichaient Ils défichaient les résultats. They were removing the results.
elles défichaient Elles défichaient les images. They were erasing the images.

Other Conjugations for Déficher.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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