Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désembrayer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désembrayer

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The English translation of the French verb désembrayer is “to disengage” or “to uncouple.” The infinitive form “désembrayer” is pronounced as “day-sɑ̃.bʁe.”

Désembrayer is derived from the combination of the prefix “dés-” (meaning “un-” or “dis-“) and the verb “embrayer” (meaning “to engage” or “to couple”). In everyday French, désembrayer is commonly used in the imparfait tense to describe an ongoing or habitual disengagement or uncoupling action in the past.

Here are three examples of désembrayer in the imparfait tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Pendant l’orage, le train désembrayait souvent. (During the storm, the train would often uncouple.)
  2. Les vieux wagons désembrayaient régulièrement lorsque nous roulions sur cette voie. (The old wagons would regularly disengage when we were traveling on that track.)
  3. Quand j’étais enfant, la voiture de mon père désembrayait fréquemment à chaque changement de vitesse. (When I was a child, my father’s car would frequently disengage at every gear change.)

Note: The imparfait tense is used in French to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. The translations provided reflect the context of the imparfait tense, although the English translations may vary depending on the specific context.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of désembrayer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je désembrayais Je désembrayais la voiture. I was disengaging the car.
tu désembrayais Tu désembrayais trop tôt. You were disengaging too early.
il désembrayait Il désembrayait facilement. He was disengaging easily.
elle désembrayait Elle désembrayait souvent. She was disengaging often.
on désembrayait On désembrayait avant de freiner. We were disengaging before braking.
nous désembrayions Nous désembrayions ensemble. We were disengaging together.
vous désembrayiez Vous désembrayiez prudemment. You were disengaging cautiously.
ils désembrayaient Ils désembrayaient rapidement. They were disengaging quickly.
elles désembrayaient Elles désembrayaient avec difficulté. They were disengaging with difficulty.

Other Conjugations for Désembrayer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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