Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désapprouver

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désapprouver

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The English translation of the French verb “désapprouver” is “to disapprove”. The pronunciation of the infinitive form “désapprouver” is: day-za-proo-vay.

The verb “désapprouver” is derived from the combination of the prefix “dés-” (meaning “dis-” or “un-“) and the verb “approuver” (meaning “to approve”). It is commonly used in everyday French to express the action of expressing disapproval or dissent towards something or someone.

In the imparfait tense, which is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, “désapprouver” is conjugated as follows:

  • Je désapprouvais (I disapproved)
  • Tu désapprouvais (You disapproved)
  • Il/elle désapprouvait (He/she disapproved)
  • Nous désapprouvions (We disapproved)
  • Vous désapprouviez (You disapproved)
  • Ils/elles désapprouvaient (They disapproved)

Here are three examples of “désapprouver” in the imparfait tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Quand j’étais jeune, je désapprouvais toujours les décisions de mes parents.
    (When I was young, I always disapproved of my parents’ decisions.)

  2. Mes amis désapprouvaient mon choix de carrière, mais je l’ai poursuivi malgré tout.
    (My friends disapproved of my career choice, but I pursued it anyway.)

  3. Les enseignants désapprouvaient le comportement bruyant des élèves en classe.
    (The teachers disapproved of the noisy behavior of the students in class.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of désapprouver

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je désapprouvais Je désapprouvais sa décision. I disapproved of his decision.
tu désapprouvais Tu désapprouvais notre comportement. You disapproved of our behavior.
il désapprouvait Il désapprouvait cette méthode. He disapproved of this method.
elle désapprouvait Elle désapprouvait son attitude. She disapproved of his attitude.
on désapprouvait On désapprouvait leurs actions. We disapproved of their actions.
nous désapprouvions Nous désapprouvions sa proposition. We disapproved of his proposal.
vous désapprouviez Vous désapprouviez leurs choix. You disapproved of their choices.
ils désapprouvaient Ils désapprouvaient ses idées. They disapproved of his ideas.
elles désapprouvaient Elles désapprouvaient leur comportement. They disapproved of their behavior.

Other Conjugations for Désapprouver.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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