Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déglinguer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déglinguer

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The English translation of the French verb déglinguer is “to wreck” or “to break down.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form déglinguer is “day-glin-gay.”

The word déglinguer originated from the French slang term “glinguer,” which means “to smell bad” or “to reek.” Over time, the prefix “dé-” was added to intensify the meaning, giving déglinguer the sense of “to wreck” or “to break down.”

In everyday French, déglinguer is often used in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. It conveys a sense of something being damaged, broken, or faulty.

Here are three examples of déglinguer in the imparfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Les freins de ma voiture déglinguaient souvent.
    (The brakes of my car used to break down often.)

  2. Quand j’étais petit, ma console de jeux vidéo déglinguait tout le temps.
    (When I was young, my video game console would always break down.)

  3. La machine à laver déglinguait régulièrement, alors nous devions la faire réparer.
    (The washing machine would frequently break down, so we had to get it repaired.)

Note: The translations provided are not literal but aim to convey the intended meaning of the sentences.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of déglinguer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je déglinguais Je déglinguais la voiture. I was wrecking the car.
tu déglinguais Tu déglinguais le moteur. You were damaging the engine.
il déglinguait Il déglinguait tout. He was wrecking everything.
elle déglinguait Elle déglinguait le vase. She was breaking the vase.
on déglinguait On déglinguait les meubles. We were wrecking the furniture.
nous déglinguions Nous déglinguions la maison. We were wrecking the house.
vous déglinguiez Vous déglinguiez la télévision. You were damaging the TV.
ils déglinguaient Ils déglinguaient la voiture. They were wrecking the car.
elles déglinguaient Elles déglinguaient les vélos. They were damaging the bikes.

Other Conjugations for Déglinguer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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