Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désamidonner

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désamidonner

Get the imperfect (imparfait) tense conjugation of désamidonner. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb désamidonner is “to remove starch.” The infinitive form, désamidonner, is pronounced as “day-za-mee-doh-nay.”

Désamidonner is derived from the combination of two words: “dé-” (a prefix indicating negation or reversal) and “amidon” (meaning “starch” in English). It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of removing or eliminating starch from a substance or material.

Here are three simple examples of désamidonner used in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Quand j’étais enfant, ma grand-mère désamidonnait toujours mes chemises.
    (When I was a child, my grandmother would always remove starch from my shirts.)

  2. Nous désamidonnions les pommes de terre avant de les faire frire.
    (We used to remove starch from the potatoes before frying them.)

  3. Pendant la révolution industrielle, les machines à désamidonner les textiles ont été inventées.
    (During the Industrial Revolution, machines for removing starch from fabrics were invented.)

Please note that the imparfait tense in French typically expresses ongoing, repeated, or habitual actions in the past, rather than specific single events.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of désamidonner

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je désamidonnais Je désamidonnais la chemise. I was removing the starch from the shirt.
tu désamidonnais Tu désamidonnais les vêtements. You were removing the starch from the clothes.
il désamidonnait Il désamidonnait le tissu. He was removing the starch from the fabric.
elle désamidonnait Elle désamidonnait ses chemisiers. She was removing the starch from her blouses.
on désamidonnait On désamidonnait les draps. We were removing the starch from the sheets.
nous désamidonnions Nous désamidonnions les textiles. We were removing the starch from the textiles.
vous désamidonniez Vous désamidonniez les chemises. You were removing the starch from the shirts.
ils désamidonnaient Ils désamidonnaient les costumes. They were removing the starch from the suits.
elles désamidonnaient Elles désamidonnaient les jupes. They were removing the starch from the skirts.

Other Conjugations for Désamidonner.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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