Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
Introduction to the verb démériter
The English translation of the French verb démériter is “to not deserve” or “to be unworthy.” The infinitive form, démériter, is pronounced as “day-may-ree-tay.”
Démériter is derived from the French word “mérite,” meaning “merit” or “deserve.” The prefix “dé-” negates the meaning, resulting in “not deserve” or “be unworthy.” In everyday French, démériter is often used in the imparfait tense to express actions or states in the past that were unworthy or undeserving.
Here are three simple examples of its usage in the imparfait tense, along with their respective English translations:
- Je déméritais son amitié.
(I did not deserve his friendship.) - Ils déméritaient la confiance de leurs parents.
(They were unworthy of their parents’ trust.) - Elle déméritait toutes les éloges qu’elle recevait.
(She did not deserve all the praise she was receiving.)
These examples demonstrate how démériter is used in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past that were deemed unworthy or undeserving.
Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of démériter
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | déméritais | Je déméritais cette récompense. | I was unworthy of this reward. |
tu | déméritais | Tu déméritais son estime. | You were undeserving of his respect. |
il | déméritait | Il déméritait sa position. | He was not worthy of his position. |
elle | déméritait | Elle déméritait la reconnaissance. | She did not deserve the recognition. |
on | déméritait | On déméritait leur confiance. | We were not deserving of their trust. |
nous | déméritions | Nous déméritions cette punition. | We were undeserving of this punishment. |
vous | déméritiez | Vous déméritiez cette responsabilité. | You were not worthy of this responsibility. |
ils | déméritaient | Ils déméritaient cette récompense. | They were unworthy of this reward. |
elles | déméritaient | Elles déméritaient son admiration. | They did not deserve her admiration. |
Other Conjugations for Démériter.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter
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Démériter – About the French Imparfait Tense
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
For regular -er verbs:
For regular -ir verbs
For regular -re verbs
Common Everyday Usage Patterns
Description of Past Habits
Background Information
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
Points to Note About the Imparfait Tense
Passé Composé vs. Imparfait
Conditional
Si Clauses
Narration
I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb démériter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!