Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déshabituer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déshabituer

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The English translation of the French verb déshabituer is “to unaccustom” or “to wean off.” The infinitive form “déshabituer” is pronounced as “day-zah-bee-too-ay.”

Déshabituer comes from the combination of the prefix “dés-” (which indicates negation or reversal) and the verb “habituer” (meaning “to accustom” or “to get used to”). It is most often used in everyday French to express the action of undoing a habit or breaking a routine. It can also refer to weaning someone off a particular behavior or dependency.

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

  1. Quand j’étais petit, mes parents essayaient de me déshabituer de ma sucette.
    (When I was little, my parents were trying to wean me off my pacifier.)

  2. Nous ne réussissions pas à déshabituer notre chien de monter sur le canapé.
    (We weren’t able to unaccustom our dog from getting on the couch.)

  3. Elle se déshabituait peu à peu de fumer après des années de dépendance.
    (She was gradually getting unaccustomed to smoking after years of addiction.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of déshabituer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je déshabituais Je me déshabituais rapidement. I was quickly getting used to.
tu déshabituais Tu te déshabituais de la routine. You were getting out of the routine.
il déshabituait Il se déshabituait de cette habitude. He was getting rid of that habit.
elle déshabituait Elle se déshabituait de fumer. She was quitting smoking.
on déshabituait On se déshabituait des fast-foods. We were getting unaccustomed to fast food.
nous déshabituions Nous nous déshabituions de cette mauvaise habitude. We were getting rid of this bad habit.
vous déshabituiez Vous vous déshabituiez des sucreries. You were getting unaccustomed to sweets.
ils déshabituaient Ils se déshabituaient de cette boisson. They were getting rid of that drink.
elles déshabituaient Elles se déshabituaient de cette pratique. They were getting unaccustomed to that practice.

Other Conjugations for Déshabituer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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