Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépêtrer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépêtrer

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The English translation of the French verb dépêtrer is “to disentangle” or “to extricate oneself.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-peh-tray.”

Dépêtrer comes from the Old French word despestrer, which meant “to free from a trap or snare.” It ultimately derives from the Latin word plicare, meaning “to fold.”

In everyday French, dépêtrer in the imparfait tense is commonly used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. Here are three examples:

  1. Quand j’étais jeune, je me dépêtrais souvent des problèmes compliqués. (When I was young, I used to disentangle myself from complicated problems.)
  2. Tous les matins, il se dépêtrait de son lit avec difficulté. (Every morning, he would extricate himself from his bed with difficulty.)
  3. Nous nous dépêtrions de nos erreurs en essayant de les corriger. (We would disentangle ourselves from our mistakes by trying to correct them.)

English translations:

  1. When I was young, I used to disentangle myself from complicated problems.
  2. Every morning, he would extricate himself from his bed with difficulty.
  3. We would disentangle ourselves from our mistakes by trying to correct them.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of dépêtrer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je dépêtrais Je me dépêtrais avec les fils. I was untangling the wires.
tu dépêtrais Tu te dépêtrais de la situation. You were getting out of the situation.
il dépêtrait Il se dépêtrait des problèmes. He was untangling the problems.
elle dépêtrait Elle se dépêtrait des nœuds. She was untangling the knots.
on dépêtrait On se dépêtrait des difficultés. We were untangling the difficulties.
nous dépêtrions Nous nous dépêtrions des conflits. We were untangling the conflicts.
vous dépêtriez Vous vous dépêtriez des obstacles. You were untangling the obstacles.
ils dépêtraient Ils se dépêtraient de la situation. They were getting out of the situation.
elles dépêtraient Elles se dépêtraient des liens. They were untangling the ties.

Other Conjugations for Dépêtrer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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