Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démontrer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démontrer

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The English translation of the French verb “démontrer” is “to demonstrate” or “to show”. The infinitive form of “démontrer” is pronounced as “day-mon-tray”.

“Démontrer” belongs to the Old French and Latin origin. It is derived from the Latin word “dēmonstrāre”, meaning “to point out” or “to indicate”. In everyday French, “démontrer” is commonly used to express the action of proving or illustrating something.

Here are three examples of “démontrer” in the imparfait tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Quand j’étais jeune, je démontrais souvent mes talents de danse. (When I was young, I used to demonstrate my dancing skills.)
  2. Nous démontrions notre amour en nous tenant la main partout où nous allions. (We used to show our love by holding hands wherever we went.)
  3. Ils démontraient leur opposition en organisant des manifestations pacifiques. (They used to demonstrate their opposition by organizing peaceful protests.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of démontrer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je démontrais Je démontrais mes compétences. I was demonstrating my skills.
tu démontrais Tu démontrais ton talent. You were demonstrating your talent.
il démontrait Il démontrait sa théorie. He was demonstrating his theory.
elle démontrait Elle démontrait son savoir-faire. She was demonstrating her expertise.
on démontrait On démontrait notre capacité. We were demonstrating our ability.
nous démontrions Nous démontrions notre soutien. We were demonstrating our support.
vous démontriez Vous démontriez votre engagement. You were demonstrating your commitment.
ils démontraient Ils démontraient leur mécontentement. They were demonstrating their discontent.
elles démontraient Elles démontraient leur détermination. They were demonstrating their determination.

Other Conjugations for Démontrer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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