Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désenfumer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désenfumer

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The English translation of the French verb “désenfumer” is “to clear the smoke.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-zan-fu-may.”

The word “désenfumer” is derived from the prefix “dés-” meaning “to undo” or “to remove,” and the noun “fumée” meaning “smoke.” In everyday French, “désenfumer” is often used to describe the action of removing or getting rid of smoke from a space, such as a room or a building.

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

  1. Chaque soir, le pompier désenfumait la pièce. (Every evening, the firefighter would clear the smoke from the room.)
  2. Nous désenfumions rapidement l’appartement pour échapper à l’incendie. (We were clearing the smoke from the apartment quickly to escape the fire.)
  3. Pendant l’incident, les secouristes désenfumaient le bâtiment pour sauver les personnes piégées. (During the incident, the rescuers were clearing the smoke from the building to save the trapped individuals.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of désenfumer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je désenfumais Je désenfumais la pièce. I was ventilating the room.
tu désenfumais Tu désenfumais rapidement. You were ventilating quickly.
il désenfumait Il désenfumait le bâtiment. He was ventilating the building.
elle désenfumait Elle désenfumait la cuisine. She was ventilating the kitchen.
on désenfumait On désenfumait la cave. We were ventilating the cellar.
nous désenfumions Nous désenfumions la maison. We were ventilating the house.
vous désenfumiez Vous désenfumiez le garage. You were ventilating the garage.
ils désenfumaient Ils désenfumaient les chambres. They were ventilating the rooms.
elles désenfumaient Elles désenfumaient le salon. They were ventilating the living room.

Other Conjugations for Désenfumer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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