Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désaligner

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désaligner

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The English translation of the French verb désaligner is “to misalign.” The infinitive form of désaligner is pronounced as “day-za-lee-nyay.”

The word désaligner is derived from the combination of the prefix “dés-” (which indicates negation or reversal) and the verb “aligner” (meaning “to align”). It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of moving something out of its proper alignment or position.

Here are three examples of désaligner in the imparfait tense and their respective English translations:

  1. Chaque fois que je marchais dans la chambre, le tapis se désalignait. (Every time I walked into the room, the carpet would misalign.)
  2. Les enfants désalignaient toujours les chaises dans la salle de classe. (The children would always misalign the chairs in the classroom.)
  3. Le vent désalignait les volets de la maison pendant la tempête. (The wind would misalign the shutters of the house during the storm.)

These examples illustrate the use of désaligner in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of désaligner

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je désalignais Je désalignais les objets. I was misaligning the objects.
tu désalignais Tu désalignais le tableau. You were misaligning the painting.
il désalignait Il désalignait les lignes. He was misaligning the lines.
elle désalignait Elle désalignait les colonnes. She was misaligning the columns.
on désalignait On désalignait les éléments. We were misaligning the elements.
nous désalignions Nous désalignions les pièces. We were misaligning the pieces.
vous désaligniez Vous désaligniez les rangées. You were misaligning the rows.
ils désalignaient Ils désalignaient les plans. They were misaligning the plans.
elles désalignaient Elles désalignaient les motifs. They were misaligning the patterns.

Other Conjugations for Désaligner.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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