Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépoussiérer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépoussiérer

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The English translation of the French verb dépoussiérer is “to dust.” The infinitive form of dépoussiérer is pronounced as “day-poo-syay-ray.”

Depoussiérer originates from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (which denotes removal or reversal) and the noun “poussière” (meaning “dust”). In everyday French, dépoussiérer is used in the imparfait tense to describe an ongoing or habitual action in the past.

Here are three examples of dépoussiérer in the imparfait tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Chaque semaine, je dépoussiérais les meubles de ma maison.
    (Every week, I would dust the furniture in my house.)

  2. Pendant mon enfance, ma mère dépoussiérait les étagères tous les jours.
    (During my childhood, my mother would dust the shelves every day.)

  3. Nous dépoussiérions la bibliothèque une fois par mois.
    (We would dust the bookshelf once a month.)

Note: The translations provided are in the imperfect tense to maintain the context, but in normal English, the simple past tense would be used.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of dépoussiérer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je dépoussiérais Je dépoussiérais les meubles. I was dusting the furniture.
tu dépoussiérais Tu dépoussiérais les étagères. You were dusting the shelves.
il dépoussiérait Il dépoussiérait les livres. He was dusting the books.
elle dépoussiérait Elle dépoussiérait les objets. She was dusting the objects.
on dépoussiérait On dépoussiérait la maison. We were dusting the house.
nous dépoussiérions Nous dépoussiérions les surfaces. We were dusting the surfaces.
vous dépoussiériez Vous dépoussiériez les tableaux. You were dusting the paintings.
ils dépoussiéraient Ils dépoussiéraient les vitrines. They were dusting the display cases.
elles dépoussiéraient Elles dépoussiéraient les sculptures. They were dusting the sculptures.

Other Conjugations for Dépoussiérer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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