Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démastiquer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démastiquer

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The English translation of the French verb “démastiquer” is “to remove dental plaque” or “to descale teeth.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form “démastiquer” is: de-mas-ti-kay.

The word “démastiquer” is a compound verb formed from the prefix “dé-” (indicating removal) and the verb “mastiquer” (to chew). It is primarily used in the context of dental hygiene, referring to the action of cleaning teeth by removing plaque or scaling.

In the imparfait tense, “démastiquer” is used to describe habitual or ongoing actions in the past. It implies that the action of descaling teeth was a regular practice or part of a routine.

Here are three examples of “démastiquer” used in the imparfait tense:

  1. Chaque soir, je démastiquais mes dents avec une brosse électrique. (Every evening, I would descale my teeth with an electric toothbrush.)
  2. Pendant mon séjour en France, je démastiquais mes dents après chaque repas. (During my stay in France, I used to descale my teeth after every meal.)
  3. Quand j’étais jeune, je démastiquais mes dents avec un grattoir en métal. (When I was young, I would descale my teeth with a metal scraper.)

English translations:

  1. Every evening, I would descale my teeth with an electric toothbrush.
  2. During my stay in France, I used to descale my teeth after every meal.
  3. When I was young, I would descale my teeth with a metal scraper.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of démastiquer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je démastiquais Je démastiquais le bateau. I was scraping the boat.
tu démastiquais Tu démastiquais les meubles. You were stripping the furniture.
il démastiquait Il démastiquait la vieille peinture. He was removing the old paint.
elle démastiquait Elle démastiquait les murs. She was scraping the walls.
on démastiquait On démastiquait les planchers. We were sanding the floors.
nous démastiquions Nous démastiquions les portes. We were stripping the doors.
vous démastiquiez Vous démastiquiez les fenêtres. You were scraping the windows.
ils démastiquaient Ils démastiquaient les surfaces. They were removing the surfaces.
elles démastiquaient Elles démastiquaient les sculptures. They were scraping the sculptures.

Other Conjugations for Démastiquer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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