Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dérober

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dérober

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The English translation of the French verb dérober is “to steal.” The infinitive form of dérober is pronounced as “deh-roh-bay.”

The word dérober comes from the Latin word “derobare” which means “to undress.” Over time, its meaning has evolved to refer to the act of stealing. In everyday French, dérober is commonly used in the imparfait tense to describe past habitual actions or ongoing actions that were taking place in the past.

Here are three examples of dérober used in the imparfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Quand j’étais jeune, je dérobais des bonbons dans le magasin du coin.
    (When I was young, I used to steal candies from the corner store.)

  2. Pendant des années, il dérobait les bijoux de ses clients sans se faire prendre.
    (For years, he was stealing jewelry from his clients without getting caught.)

  3. Nous dérobions discrètement des informations confidentielles pour notre enquête.
    (We were discreetly stealing confidential information for our investigation.)

In these examples, dérober is used to describe past habitual actions (example 1), an ongoing action that lasted for a period of time (example 2) and a discreet action performed in the past (example 3).

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of dérober

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je dérobais Je dérobais des bonbons. I was stealing candies.
tu dérobais Tu dérobais de l’argent. You were stealing money.
il dérobait Il dérobait des bijoux. He was stealing jewelry.
elle dérobait Elle dérobait des vêtements. She was stealing clothes.
on dérobait On dérobait des objets. We were stealing objects.
nous dérobions Nous dérobions des livres. We were stealing books.
vous dérobiez Vous dérobiez des informations. You were stealing information.
ils dérobaient Ils dérobaient des vélos. They were stealing bikes.
elles dérobaient Elles dérobaient des œuvres d’art. They were stealing artworks.

Other Conjugations for Dérober.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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