Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dégivrer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dégivrer

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The English translation of the French verb dégivrer is “to defrost.” The infinitive form of dégivrer is pronounced as “day-zhee-vray.”

The word dégivrer is derived from the combination of “dé-” (a prefix indicating negation or reversal) and “givre” (which means “frost” in French). Therefore, dégivrer literally means “to remove frost” or “to unfrost.”

In everyday French, dégivrer is most commonly used in the imparfait tense to express a habitual or ongoing action in the past. It can describe the act of defrosting or removing frost from various objects, such as car windows, freezer compartments, or airplane wings in icy conditions.

Examples in the imparfait tense:

  1. Chaque hiver, je dégivrais les vitres de ma voiture avant de partir travailler.
    Translation: Every winter, I used to defrost the windows of my car before going to work.

  2. Quand j’étais jeune, nous dégivrions le congélateur une fois par mois.
    Translation: When I was young, we used to defrost the freezer once a month.

  3. Les pilotes dégivraient les ailes de l’avion avant chaque décollage.
    Translation: The pilots used to defrost the airplane wings before each takeoff.

These examples illustrate the habitual nature of dégivrer in the imparfait tense, describing actions that were regularly performed in the past.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of dégivrer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je dégivrais Je dégivrais le pare-brise. I used to defrost the windshield.
tu dégivrais Tu dégivrais le congélateur. You used to defrost the freezer.
il dégivrait Il dégivrait la voiture. He used to defrost the car.
elle dégivrait Elle dégivrait les vitres. She used to defrost the windows.
on dégivrait On dégivrait les avions. We used to defrost the airplanes.
nous dégivrions Nous dégivrions les réfrigérateurs. We used to defrost the refrigerators.
vous dégivriez Vous dégivriez les congélateurs. You used to defrost the freezers.
ils dégivraient Ils dégivraient les surfaces gelées. They used to defrost the frozen surfaces.
elles dégivraient Elles dégivraient les tuyaux. They used to defrost the pipes.

Other Conjugations for Dégivrer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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