Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démailloter

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démailloter

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The English translation of the French verb “démailloter” is “to unwrap” or “to unswaddle.” The infinitive form of “démailloter” is pronounced as “day-may-lotay.”

The word “démailloter” is derived from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (which indicates negation or reversal) and the verb “mailloter” (meaning “to swaddle” or “to wrap tightly”). In everyday French, “démailloter” is commonly used to describe the action of removing or undoing the swaddling of a baby or any tightly wrapped item.

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

  1. Chaque soir, je démaillotais mon bébé pour qu’il puisse bouger librement.
    (Every evening, I used to unwrap my baby so that he could move freely.)

  2. Quand j’étais petite, ma mère me démaillotait avant de me mettre au lit.
    (When I was little, my mother used to unswaddle me before putting me to bed.)

  3. Pendant les premiers mois, nous démaillotions notre chiot pour l’habituer à son nouvel environnement.
    (During the first few months, we would unwrap our puppy to get him used to his new surroundings.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of démailloter

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je démaillotais Je démaillotais le bébé. I was unwrapping the baby.
tu démaillotais Tu démaillotais ton fils. You were unwrapping your son.
il démaillotait Il démaillotait le nouveau-né. He was unwrapping the newborn.
elle démaillotait Elle démaillotait la petite fille. She was unwrapping the little girl.
on démaillotait On démaillotait les bébés. We were unwrapping the babies.
nous démaillotions Nous démaillotions les nouveau-nés. We were unwrapping the newborns.
vous démaillotiez Vous démaillotiez vos enfants. You were unwrapping your children.
ils démaillotaient Ils démaillotaient les enfants. They were unwrapping the children.
elles démaillotaient Elles démaillotaient les bébés. They were unwrapping the babies.

Other Conjugations for Démailloter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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