Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désenchaîner

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désenchaîner

Get the imperfect (imparfait) tense conjugation of désenchaîner. 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 désenchaîner is “to unchain” or “to unleash.” The infinitive form, désenchaîner, is pronounced as “day-zahn-sheh-nay.”

Désenchaîner comes from the combination of the prefix “dés-” (meaning “undo” or “remove”) and the verb “enchaîner” (meaning “to chain” or “to bind”). It is used figuratively to express the idea of freeing or releasing someone or something from a constraint, both in a literal and metaphorical sense.

In everyday French, the imparfait tense is commonly used to talk about ongoing or repeated actions in the past. Here are three simple examples of désenchaîner in the imparfait tense:

  1. Chaque jour, elle désenchaînait son chien dans le parc. (Every day, she would unleash her dog in the park.)
  2. Nous désenchaînions notre créativité en improvisant des scènes de théâtre. (We used to unleash our creativity by improvising theater scenes.)
  3. Les manifestants désenchaînaient leur colère en brûlant des pneus. (The protesters were unleashing their anger by burning tires.)

These examples highlight the freeing or releasing aspect of désenchaîner in different contexts, such as releasing a dog, unleashing creativity, or expressing anger.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of désenchaîner

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je désenchaînais Je désenchaînais mon vélo. I was unchaining my bike.
tu désenchaînais Tu désenchaînais le chien. You were unchaining the dog.
il désenchaînait Il désenchaînait son ami. He was unchaining his friend.
elle désenchaînait Elle désenchaînait ses cheveux. She was unchaining her hair.
on désenchaînait On désenchaînait les prisonniers. We were unchaining the prisoners.
nous désenchaînions Nous désenchaînions nos pensées. We were unchaining our thoughts.
vous désenchaîniez Vous désenchaîniez les vélos. You were unchaining the bikes.
ils désenchaînaient Ils désenchaînaient les animaux. They were unchaining the animals.
elles désenchaînaient Elles désenchaînaient les chiens. They were unchaining the dogs.

Other Conjugations for Désenchaîner.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the désenchaîner imparfait tense conjugation! 

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply