Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désennuyer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désennuyer

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The English translation of the French verb “désennuyer” is “to relieve boredom” or “to entertain.” The infinitive form of “désennuyer” is pronounced as “day-zuhn-nwee-yay.”

The word “désennuyer” is derived from the combination of the prefix “dés-” (meaning “to undo” or “to remove”) and the word “ennui” (meaning “boredom” or “tedium”). In everyday French, “désennuyer” is commonly used in the imparfait tense to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

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

  1. Pendant l’été, mes amis et moi nous désennuyions en allant à la plage chaque jour.
    (During the summer, my friends and I would relieve boredom by going to the beach every day.)

  2. Quand j’étais enfant, mes grands-parents me désennuyaient en me racontant des histoires.
    (When I was a child, my grandparents would entertain me by telling me stories.)

  3. Les jeux de société nous désennuyaient lors des longues soirées d’hiver.
    (Board games would relieve our boredom during the long winter evenings.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of désennuyer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je me désennuyais Je me désennuyais en lisant un livre. I was entertaining myself by reading a book.
tu te désennuyais Tu te désennuyais en regardant la télévision. You were entertaining yourself by watching TV.
il se désennuyait Il se désennuyait en jouant au football. He was entertaining himself by playing soccer.
elle se désennuyait Elle se désennuyait en écoutant de la musique. She was entertaining herself by listening to music.
on se désennuyait On se désennuyait en faisant du shopping. We were entertaining ourselves by shopping.
nous nous désennuyions Nous nous désennuyions en faisant du sport. We were entertaining ourselves by doing sports.
vous vous désennuyiez Vous vous désennuyiez en sortant avec des amis. You were entertaining yourselves by going out with friends.
ils se désennuyaient Ils se désennuyaient en allant au cinéma. They were entertaining themselves by going to the movies.
elles se désennuyaient Elles se désennuyaient en faisant du jardinage. They were entertaining themselves by doing gardening.

Other Conjugations for Désennuyer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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