Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déplacer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déplacer

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The English translation of the French verb “déplacer” is “to move” or “to displace.” The infinitive form “déplacer” is pronounced as “day-plah-say.”

The verb “déplacer” has Latin origins and comes from the Latin word “displacare,” which means “to remove” or “to displace.” In everyday French, “déplacer” is commonly used in the imparfait tense, which expresses ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

Here are three examples of its usage in the imparfait tense:

  1. Quand j’étais enfant, je déplaçais souvent les meubles dans ma chambre.
    (When I was a child, I used to move the furniture in my room frequently.)

  2. Nous déplacions notre réunion hebdomadaire du mardi au jeudi.
    (We used to move our weekly meeting from Tuesday to Thursday.)

  3. Pendant les vacances, ils déplaçaient leur caravane à travers tout le pays.
    (During the holidays, they used to move their caravan across the whole country.)

English Translations:

  1. When I was a child, I used to move the furniture in my room frequently.
  2. We used to move our weekly meeting from Tuesday to Thursday.
  3. During the holidays, they used to move their caravan across the whole country.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of déplacer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je déplaçais Je déplaçais la chaise. I was moving the chair.
tu déplaçais Tu déplaçais les livres. You were moving the books.
il déplaçait Il déplaçait la voiture. He was moving the car.
elle déplaçait Elle déplaçait la table. She was moving the table.
on déplaçait On déplaçait les meubles. We were moving the furniture.
nous déplacions Nous déplacions les valises. We were moving the suitcases.
vous déplaciez Vous déplaciez le canapé. You were moving the sofa.
ils déplaçaient Ils déplaçaient les objets. They were moving the objects.
elles déplaçaient Elles déplaçaient les plantes. They were moving the plants.

Other Conjugations for Déplacer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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