Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démurger

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démurger

Get the imperfect (imparfait) tense conjugation of démurger. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb démurger is “to leave a city” or “to move away from a city.” The infinitive form, démurger, is pronounced as “day-moor-zhay.”

The verb démurger is derived from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (indicating a reversal or removal) and the word “murger” (which means “to build a wall”). Its language origin comes from the Old French word “murer” meaning “to wall up” or “to enclose.” Over time, the prefix “dé-” was added to express the idea of moving away or leaving a city.

In everyday French, the verb démurger is commonly used in the imparfait tense to describe past actions or ongoing states in the past. Here are three simple examples of its usage in the imparfait tense along with their English translations:

  1. Je démurgeais de Paris. (I was leaving Paris.)
  2. Tu démurgeais de ta maison d’enfance. (You were moving away from your childhood home.)
  3. Ils démurgeaient de la ville chaque été. (They used to leave the city every summer.)

Note: In these examples, the verb démurger is conjugated in the imparfait tense to match the subject of the sentence, which indicates ongoing or habitual past actions.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of démurger

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je démurgeais Je démurgeais souvent. I used to demurge often.
tu démurgeais Tu démurgeais avec moi. You used to demurge with me.
il démurgeait Il démurgeait lentement. He used to demurge slowly.
elle démurgeait Elle démurgeait discrètement. She used to demurge discreetly.
on démurgeait On démurgeait en silence. We used to demurge in silence.
nous démurgions Nous démurgions ensemble. We used to demurge together.
vous démurgiez Vous démurgiez rapidement. You used to demurge quickly.
ils démurgeaient Ils démurgeaient bruyamment. They used to demurge loudly.
elles démurgeaient Elles démurgeaient rarement. They used to demurge rarely.

Other Conjugations for Démurger.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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