Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dérembourser

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dérembourser

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The English translation of the French verb “dérembourser” is “to refund.” The infinitive form of dérembourser is pronounced as “day-ruhm-boo-say.”

Dérembourser is a compound word derived from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (which indicates a reversal or negation) and the verb “rembourser” (to reimburse). It is used to describe the action of canceling or reversing a reimbursement, essentially taking back the money that was previously reimbursed.

In everyday French, dérembourser is most often used in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing or habitual actions that took place in the past. Here are three examples of its usage in the imparfait tense along with their English translations:

  1. Chaque mois, ils déremboursaient les frais de déplacement. (Every month, they would refund the travel expenses.)
  2. À cette époque, l’entreprise déremboursait tous les retours sans poser de questions. (At that time, the company would refund all returns without asking any questions.)
  3. Nous déremboursions les clients mécontents pour maintenir leur satisfaction. (We used to refund unhappy customers to maintain their satisfaction.)

Please note that the imparfait tense describes ongoing, repeated, or habitual actions in the past, rather than specific one-time events.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of dérembourser

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je déremboursais Je déremboursais les médicaments. I was not reimbursing the medicine.
tu déremboursais Tu déremboursais les dépenses. You were not reimbursing the expenses.
il déremboursait Il déremboursait les soins dentaires. He was not reimbursing the dental care.
elle déremboursait Elle déremboursait les consultations médicales. She was not reimbursing the medical consultations.
on déremboursait On déremboursait les traitements. We were not reimbursing the treatments.
nous déremboursions Nous déremboursions les médicaments génériques. We were not reimbursing the generic medicines.
vous déremboursiez Vous déremboursiez les frais d’hospitalisation. You were not reimbursing the hospitalization expenses.
ils déremboursaient Ils déremboursaient les opérations chirurgicales. They were not reimbursing the surgical operations.
elles déremboursaient Elles déremboursaient les médicaments non remboursables. They were not reimbursing the non-reimbursable medicines.

Other Conjugations for Dérembourser.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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