Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désincarcérer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désincarcérer

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The English translation of the French verb désincarcérer is “to extricate” or “to free someone from a wreck”. The infinitive form “désincarcérer” is pronounced as “dey-zahn-kar-sey-rey”.

The verb désincarcérer is derived from the prefix “dés-” (meaning “un-” or “dis-“) and the word “incarcérer” (meaning “to incarcerate” or “to imprison”). It is primarily used in the context of emergency services and refers to the action of freeing or extracting someone from a vehicle or wreckage.

In everyday French, the verb désincarcérer is most often used in the imparfait tense to describe repeated or ongoing past actions or states. It can be used to talk about the continuous process of extricating someone from a wreck or the repeated occurrences of such actions in the past.

Here are three examples of its usage in the imparfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Chaque année, les pompiers désincarcéraient des victimes d’accidents de la route. (Every year, the firefighters would extricate victims from road accidents.)
  2. Pendant la période des intempéries, les équipes de secours désincarcéraient fréquemment des personnes piégées dans des véhicules. (During the stormy season, rescue teams would often extricate people trapped in vehicles.)
  3. Quand j’étais jeune, mon père était pompier et il désincarcérait régulièrement des blessés. (When I was young, my father was a firefighter, and he would regularly extricate injured people.)

Please note that the imparfait tense suggests ongoing or repeated actions in the past and may require additional context to fully convey the intended meaning in English.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of désincarcérer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je désincarcérais Je désincarcérais les victimes. I was extricating the victims.
tu désincarcérais Tu désincarcérais les blessés. You were extricating the injured.
il désincarcérait Il désincarcérait les personnes coincées. He was extricating the trapped individuals.
elle désincarcérait Elle désincarcérait les survivants. She was extricating the survivors.
on désincarcérait On désincarcérait les occupants du véhicule. We were extricating the occupants of the vehicle.
nous désincarcérions Nous désincarcérions les personnes prises au piège. We were extricating the people trapped.
vous désincarcériez Vous désincarcériez les blessés. You were extricating the injured.
ils désincarcéraient Ils désincarcéraient les victimes. They were extricating the victims.
elles désincarcéraient Elles désincarcéraient les personnes coincées. They were extricating the trapped individuals.

Other Conjugations for Désincarcérer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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