Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dégrosser

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dégrosser

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The English translation of the French verb dégrosser is “to rough out” or “to roughen”. The infinitive form of dégrosser is pronounced as “day-gross-ay”.

The verb dégrosser originates from the Old French word “degrossier”, which means “to remove the roughness” or “to make something smooth”. It is derived from the combination of the prefix “de-“, which indicates removal, and the word “gros” meaning “big” or “thick”.

In everyday French, dégrosser is often used in the imparfait tense to describe an ongoing or habitual action in the past. It is commonly used to convey the idea of roughing out or refining something, or to describe the process of making something smoother or more polished.

Here are three examples of dégrosser used in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Chaque matin, il dégrossissait le bois pour fabriquer des meubles.
    (Every morning, he would rough out the wood to make furniture.)

  2. Elle dégrossissait ses idées avant de commencer à écrire.
    (She would rough out her ideas before starting to write.)

  3. Nous dégrossissions les nouveaux employés pour les préparer à leur travail.
    (We used to roughen the new employees to prepare them for their job.)

In these examples, dégrosser is used to indicate a recurring or ongoing action in the past, where something was being roughed out or refined regularly or habitually.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of dégrosser

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je dégrossissais Je dégrossissais le bois. I was roughing the wood.
tu dégrossissais Tu dégrossissais les idées. You were working out the ideas.
il dégrossissait Il dégrossissait la matière première. He was processing the raw material.
elle dégrossissait Elle dégrossissait les chevaux. She was breaking in the horses.
on dégrossissait On dégrossissait les pierres. We were smoothing the stones.
nous dégrossissions Nous dégrossissions le tissu. We were prepping the fabric.
vous dégrossissiez Vous dégrossissiez les détails. You were dealing with the details.
ils dégrossissaient Ils dégrossissaient les surfaces. They were refining the surfaces.
elles dégrossissaient Elles dégrossissaient les contours. They were outlining the shapes.

Other Conjugations for Dégrosser.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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