Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désaccoutumer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désaccoutumer

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The English translation of the French verb désaccoutumer is “to wean off” or “to break a habit.” The infinitive form, désaccoutumer, is pronounced as “dey-sah-koo-tuh-may.”

Désaccoutumer is derived from the French word “accoutumer,” meaning “to accustom.” The prefix “dés-” added to “accoutumer” indicates a negation or undoing of the action. It is primarily used in everyday French to express the process of breaking a habit or becoming unaccustomed to something.

In the imparfait tense, désaccoutumer is commonly used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past. Here are three examples of its usage in the imparfait tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Chaque été, je me désaccoutumais des grandes chaleurs.
    (Every summer, I would wean myself off the extreme heat.)

  2. Nous nous désaccoutumions peu à peu de nos anciennes habitudes alimentaires.
    (We were gradually breaking our old eating habits.)

  3. Il se désaccoutumait de fumer en réduisant progressivement le nombre de cigarettes.
    (He was weaning himself off smoking by gradually reducing the number of cigarettes.)

Note: The English translations provided convey the general meaning of the sentences.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of désaccoutumer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je désaccoutumais Je désaccoutumais mes enfants à la télévision. I was getting my children unaccustomed to television.
tu désaccoutumais Tu désaccoutumais ton chien aux friandises. You were getting your dog unaccustomed to treats.
il désaccoutumait Il désaccoutumait son corps au sucre. He was getting his body unaccustomed to sugar.
elle désaccoutumait Elle désaccoutumait son esprit à la distraction. She was getting her mind unaccustomed to distractions.
on désaccoutumait On désaccoutumait notre chat à sortir la nuit. We were getting our cat unaccustomed to going out at night.
nous désaccoutumions Nous désaccoutumions nos yeux à l’écran. We were getting our eyes unaccustomed to the screen.
vous désaccoutumiez Vous désaccoutumiez vos enfants à la malbouffe. You were getting your children unaccustomed to junk food.
ils désaccoutumaient Ils désaccoutumaient leur chien aux aboiements. They were getting their dog unaccustomed to barking.
elles désaccoutumaient Elles désaccoutumaient leur corps à la chaleur. They were getting their body unaccustomed to heat.

Other Conjugations for Désaccoutumer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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