Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délier

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb délier

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The English translation of the French verb “délier” is “to untie” or “to loosen.” The infinitive form “délier” is pronounced as “day-lee-ay.”

The word “délier” originates from the Latin verb “deligare,” meaning “to untie” or “to loosen.” In everyday French, it is commonly used in the imparfait tense, which is used to express ongoing or repeated actions in the past. The imparfait tense often describes background information, habitual actions, or states of being in the past.

Here are three simple examples of “délier” used in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Je déliais mes cheveux tous les soirs. (I used to untie my hair every evening.)
  2. Nous déliions les nœuds du paquet cadeau. (We were untying the knots of the gift package.)
  3. Les enfants déliaient leurs lacets avant de rentrer à la maison. (The children were untying their shoelaces before coming home.)

Please note that translations may vary based on the context of the sentence.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of délier

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je déliais Je déliais mes cheveux. I was untangling my hair.
tu déliais Tu déliais le nœud. You were untying the knot.
il déliait Il déliait le paquet. He was untying the package.
elle déliait Elle déliait les fils. She was untangling the threads.
on déliait On déliait les cordes. We were untying the ropes.
nous déliions Nous déliions les lacets. We were untying the shoelaces.
vous déliez Vous déliez les problèmes. You were untangling the problems.
ils déliaient Ils déliaient les câbles. They were untangling the cables.
elles déliaient Elles déliaient les rubans. They were untying the ribbons.

Other Conjugations for Délier.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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