Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désincarner

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désincarner

Get the imperfect (imparfait) tense conjugation of désincarner. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb “désincarner” is “to disembodied” or “to disembody.” The infinitive form “désincarner” is pronounced as “day-zan-kar-nay.”

The word “désincarner” is derived from the French prefix “dés-” (meaning “to undo” or “to remove”) and the word “incarner” (meaning “to embody” or “to personify”). It is most often used in everyday French to describe the act of separating the soul or spirit from the physical body.

In the imparfait tense (imperfect), désincarner is used to express ongoing or repeated actions in the past. Here are three simple examples of its usage in the imparfait tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Quand j’étais enfant, je me désincarnais souvent pendant mes cauchemars.
    (When I was a child, I would often disembodied myself during my nightmares.)

  2. Elle désincarnait régulièrement ses personnages de roman pour mieux les comprendre.
    (She would regularly disembody her novel characters to better understand them.)

  3. Nous nous désincarnions peu à peu de notre quotidien pour rejoindre un état de méditation profonde.
    (We were gradually disembodied from our daily lives to reach a state of deep meditation.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of désincarner

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je désincarnais Je désincarnais mes idées. I was disembodied my ideas.
tu désincarnais Tu désincarnais ton personnage. You were disembodied your character.
il désincarnait Il désincarnait sa vision. He was disembodied his vision.
elle désincarnait Elle désincarnait son âme. She was disembodied her soul.
on désincarnait On désincarnait le concept. We were disembodied the concept.
nous désincarnions Nous désincarnions nos émotions. We were disembodied our emotions.
vous désincarniez Vous désincarniez votre identité. You were disembodied your identity.
ils désincarnaient Ils désincarnaient leurs croyances. They were disembodied their beliefs.
elles désincarnaient Elles désincarnaient leur existence. They were disembodied their existence.

Other Conjugations for Désincarner.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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