Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb desceller

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb desceller

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The English translation of the French verb “desceller” is “to unseal” or “to break the seal.” The infinitive form, “desceller,” is pronounced as [de-sɛ-le].

The verb “desceller” originates from the Latin word “discellare,” which means “to break the seal.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of opening or breaking a seal, such as on a document, package, or container.

Here are three examples of how “desceller” can be used in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Chaque matin, je descellais les enveloppes du courrier. (Every morning, I would unseal the envelopes of the mail.)
  2. Nous descellions le coffre-fort avec précaution. (We were unsealing the safe carefully.)
  3. Pendant la cérémonie, il descellait la bouteille de champagne. (During the ceremony, he was unsealing the bottle of champagne.)

Please note that the English translations are not in the imparfait tense, as they are commonly expressed in the simple past tense.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of desceller

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je descellais Je descellais la lettre. I was unsealing the letter.
tu descellais Tu descellais le paquet. You were unsealing the package.
il descellait Il descellait la boîte. He was unsealing the box.
elle descellait Elle descellait la porte. She was unsealing the door.
on descellait On descellait les documents. We were unsealing the documents.
nous descellions Nous descellions les fenêtres. We were unsealing the windows.
vous descelliez Vous descelliez les bocaux. You were unsealing the jars.
ils descellaient Ils descellaient les coffres. They were unsealing the chests.
elles descellaient Elles descellaient les enveloppes. They were unsealing the envelopes.

Other Conjugations for Desceller.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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