Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépersonnaliser

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépersonnaliser

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The English translation of the French verb dépersonnaliser is “to depersonalize.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form dépersonnaliser is: day-per-son-na-lee-zay.

Dépersonnaliser is derived from the French word “personne,” meaning “person,” and the prefix “dé-,” which indicates negation or reversal. It refers to the act of removing or eliminating personal characteristics or individuality from someone or something.

In everyday French, dépersonnaliser in the imparfait tense is commonly used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. It can also express a mental state or a narrative background. Here are three examples of its usage in the imparfait tense:

  1. Chaque jour, il dépersonnalisait les employés en leur assignant des numéros. (Every day, he would depersonalize the employees by assigning them numbers.)
  2. Pendant son séjour à l’hôpital, elle se sentait dépersonnalisée, comme si elle n’existait plus. (During her stay at the hospital, she felt depersonalized, as if she didn’t exist anymore.)
  3. L’écrivain dépersonnalisait ses personnages pour que les lecteurs puissent s’identifier à eux. (The writer would depersonalize his characters so that readers could identify with them.)

English translations:

  1. Every day, he depersonalized the employees by assigning them numbers.
  2. During her stay at the hospital, she felt depersonalized, as if she didn’t exist anymore.
  3. The writer depersonalized his characters so that readers could identify with them.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of dépersonnaliser

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je dépersonnalisais Je dépersonnalisais mes sentiments. I depersonalized my feelings.
tu dépersonnalisais Tu dépersonnalisais tes pensées. You depersonalized your thoughts.
il dépersonnalisait Il dépersonnalisait la situation. He depersonalized the situation.
elle dépersonnalisait Elle dépersonnalisait son expérience. She depersonalized her experience.
on dépersonnalisait On dépersonnalisait les émotions. We depersonalized the emotions.
nous dépersonnalisions Nous dépersonnalisions nos réactions. We depersonalized our reactions.
vous dépersonnalisiez Vous dépersonnalisiez vos opinions. You depersonalized your opinions.
ils dépersonnalisaient Ils dépersonnalisaient les conflits. They depersonalized the conflicts.
elles dépersonnalisaient Elles dépersonnalisaient les problèmes. They depersonalized the problems.

Other Conjugations for Dépersonnaliser.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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