Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démasquer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démasquer

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The English translation of the French verb “démasquer” is “to unmask” or “to unveil.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form “démasquer” is /de.ma.ske/.

The verb “démasquer” comes from the French word “masque,” meaning “mask.” It originated from the Latin word “masca,” which had the same meaning. In everyday French, “démasquer” is commonly used to describe the act of revealing someone’s true identity or intentions, exposing a hidden truth, or uncovering a disguise.

Examples of the usage of “démasquer” in the imparfait tense:

  1. Chaque soir, nous démasquions le coupable du crime. (Every evening, we used to unmask the culprit of the crime.)
  2. Elle soupçonnait son ami de trahir sa confiance et le démasquait petit à petit. (She suspected her friend of betraying her trust and was slowly unmasking him.)
  3. Les journalistes démasquaient les corrompus dans leurs articles. (The journalists used to unmask corrupt individuals in their articles.)

English translations:

  1. Every evening, we used to unmask the culprit of the crime.
  2. She suspected her friend of betraying her trust and was slowly unmasking him.
  3. The journalists used to unmask corrupt individuals in their articles.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of démasquer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je démasquais Je démasquais le coupable. I was unmasking the culprit.
tu démasquais Tu démasquais ses mensonges. You were exposing his lies.
il démasquait Il démasquait les imposteurs. He was uncovering the impostors.
elle démasquait Elle démasquait les hypocrites. She was unveiling the hypocrites.
on démasquait On démasquait les secrets. We were revealing the secrets.
nous démasquions Nous démasquions les menteurs. We were uncovering the liars.
vous démasquiez Vous démasquiez les tricheurs. You were unmasking the cheaters.
ils démasquaient Ils démasquaient les espions. They were exposing the spies.
elles démasquaient Elles démasquaient les trompeurs. They were unmasking the deceivers.

Other Conjugations for Démasquer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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