Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désinhiber

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désinhiber

Get the imperfect (imparfait) tense conjugation of désinhiber. 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 désinhiber is “to uninhibit” or “to remove inhibitions”. The infinitive form, désinhiber, is pronounced as “day-zan-ee-beh”.

Désinhiber is derived from the French prefix “dé-” (meaning “undo” or “remove”) and the verb “inhiber” (meaning “to inhibit” or “to restrain”). It is most often used in everyday French to describe the act of encouraging or enabling someone to let go of their inhibitions, become more spontaneous, or overcome shyness.

Here are three simple examples of désinhiber in the imparfait tense and their English translations:

  1. Quand j’étais jeune, mon meilleur ami me désinhibait en me poussant à danser devant tout le monde.
    (When I was young, my best friend would uninhibit me by urging me to dance in front of everyone.)

  2. Elle me désinhibait en m’encourageant à parler en public lors des réunions.
    (She would remove my inhibitions by encouraging me to speak in public during meetings.)

  3. Nous nous désinhibions en chantant à tue-tête dans la voiture.
    (We would uninhibit ourselves by singing loudly in the car.)

In these examples, the imparfait tense implies that the act of désinhiber was ongoing or habitual in the past.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of désinhiber

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je désinhibais Je désinhibais ma timidité. I was overcoming my shyness.
tu désinhibais Tu désinhibais ta créativité. You were unleashing your creativity.
il désinhibait Il désinhibait sa spontanéité. He was freeing his spontaneity.
elle désinhibait Elle désinhibait son esprit. She was liberating her mind.
on désinhibait On désinhibait nos émotions. We were releasing our emotions.
nous désinhibions Nous désinhibions notre expression. We were uninhibiting our expression.
vous désinhibiez Vous désinhibiez votre audace. You were freeing your audacity.
ils désinhibaient Ils désinhibaient leur enthousiasme. They were unleashing their enthusiasm.
elles désinhibaient Elles désinhibaient leur énergie. They were liberating their energy.

Other Conjugations for Désinhiber.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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