Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déposer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déposer

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The English translation of the French verb déposer is “to deposit” or “to leave.” The infinitive form of déposer is pronounced as “dey-poh-zey.”

Déposer comes from the Latin word “depositare,” which means “to put down.” In everyday French, déposer is commonly used to indicate leaving or placing something somewhere. It can refer to physically putting something down or leaving an object or person in a specific location.

Here are three examples of déposer in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Chaque matin, je déposais les clés sur la table avant de partir. (Every morning, I used to leave the keys on the table before leaving.)
  2. Nous déposions les enfants à l’école tous les jours. (We used to drop the children off at school every day.)
  3. Pendant mes vacances, je déposais mon chien chez mes parents. (During my vacation, I used to leave my dog at my parents’ house.)

Please note that the translations provided are in the past tense to reflect the usage in the imparfait tense.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of déposer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je déposais Je déposais mon sac à dos. I was depositing my backpack.
tu déposais Tu déposais tes clés. You were depositing your keys.
il déposait Il déposait son dossier. He was depositing his file.
elle déposait Elle déposait son parapluie. She was depositing her umbrella.
on déposait On déposait les valises. We were depositing the suitcases.
nous déposions Nous déposions les documents. We were depositing the documents.
vous déposiez Vous déposiez votre argent. You were depositing your money.
ils déposaient Ils déposaient les livres. They were depositing the books.
elles déposaient Elles déposaient leurs affaires. They were depositing their belongings.

Other Conjugations for Déposer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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