Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désenvenimer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désenvenimer

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The English translation of the French verb “désenvenimer” is “to alleviate” or “to defuse.” The infinitive form “désenvenimer” is pronounced as “dey-zahn-veh-nee-mey.”

The verb “désenvenimer” is derived from the combination of the prefix “dés-” (meaning “un-” or “de-” in English) and the verb “envenimer,” which means “to poison” or “to aggravate.” Its language origin is rooted in Latin, where “dis-” or “de-” were used as prefixes to indicate negation or removal, and “venenum” meant “poison.”

In everyday French, the verb “désenvenimer” in the imparfait tense is commonly used to describe the ongoing actions of alleviating or defusing a situation. It emphasizes the continuous effort made to calm down or ease a problem. Here are three examples:

  1. Chaque jour, il désenvenimait les conflits entre les membres de l’équipe.
    (Every day, he would alleviate the conflicts between team members.)

  2. Quand nous étions enfants, ma sœur et moi nous désenvenimions les disputes en jouant ensemble.
    (When we were kids, my sister and I would defuse the arguments by playing together.)

  3. Pendant la réunion, ils désenvenimaient la tension en écoutant attentivement les opinions de chacun.
    (During the meeting, they were alleviating the tension by attentively listening to everyone’s opinions.)

Each of these examples illustrates the continuous nature of “désenvenimer” in the imparfait tense, showing ongoing efforts to alleviate or defuse different situations.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of désenvenimer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je désenvenimais Je désenvenimais la situation. I was deescalating the situation.
tu désenvenimais Tu désenvenimais les conflits. You were deescalating the conflicts.
il désenvenimait Il désenvenimait les tensions. He was deescalating the tensions.
elle désenvenimait Elle désenvenimait les problèmes. She was deescalating the problems.
on désenvenimait On désenvenimait les disputes. We were deescalating the disputes.
nous désenvenimions Nous désenvenimions les querelles. We were deescalating the quarrels.
vous désenvenimiez Vous désenvenimiez les situations. You were deescalating the situations.
ils désenvenimaient Ils désenvenimaient les hostilités. They were deescalating the hostilities.
elles désenvenimaient Elles désenvenimaient les conflits. They were deescalating the conflicts.

Other Conjugations for Désenvenimer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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