Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démoraliser

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démoraliser

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The English translation of the French verb démoraliser is “to demoralize” or “to discourage”. The infinitive form of démoraliser is pronounced as “day-moh-rah-lee-zay”.

Démoraliser is derived from the combination of two French words: “dé-” (a prefix indicating negation or reversal) and “moraliser” (to moralize or to instill moral values). It is most often used in everyday French to describe the act of demoralizing someone or reducing their morale or motivation.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the imparfait tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Je me sentais démoralisé chaque fois que je ratais mes examens.
    (I used to feel demoralized every time I failed my exams.)

  2. Les critiques constantes de mon professeur me démoralisaient.
    (The constant criticism from my teacher used to demoralize me.)

  3. L’équipe de football était démoralisée après leur cinquième défaite consécutive.
    (The football team was demoralized after their fifth consecutive defeat.)

These examples illustrate how démoraliser is used in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past that demoralized or discouraged someone.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of démoraliser

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je démoralisais Je démoralisais facilement. I was easily demoralized.
tu démoralisais Tu démoralisais les autres. You were demoralizing others.
il démoralisait Il démoralisait l’équipe. He was demoralizing the team.
elle démoralisait Elle démoralisait ses concurrents. She was demoralizing her competitors.
on démoralisait On démoralisait tout le monde. We were demoralizing everyone.
nous démoralisions Nous démoralisions nos adversaires. We were demoralizing our opponents.
vous démoralisiez Vous démoralisiez vos camarades. You were demoralizing your comrades.
ils démoralisaient Ils démoralisaient l’ennemi. They were demoralizing the enemy.
elles démoralisaient Elles démoralisaient leurs coéquipiers. They were demoralizing their teammates.

Other Conjugations for Démoraliser.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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