Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désurchauffer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désurchauffer

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The English translation of the French verb “désurchauffer” is “to cool down.” The infinitive form of “désurchauffer” is pronounced as “day-zoor-shoh-fay.”

“Désurchauffer” is a compound verb in French, formed by adding the prefix “dés-” (meaning “to undo” or “to reverse”) to the verb “surchauffer” (meaning “to overheat”). It is used to describe the action of reducing or bringing down the temperature or level of heat, often used in the context of machinery, appliances, or overheated systems.

In everyday French, in the imparfait tense (imperfect), “désurchauffer” is commonly used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past. It can be used to express situations where someone was actively cooling down or attempting to cool down something.

Here are three simple examples of the usage of “désurchauffer” in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Chaque soir, je désurchauffais le moteur de ma voiture. (Every evening, I used to cool down my car engine.)
  2. Nous désurchauffions le système de refroidissement pour éviter tout risque de surchauffe. (We were cooling down the cooling system to avoid any risk of overheating.)
  3. Tu désurchauffais les radiateurs dès que la chaleur devenait trop intense. (You would cool down the radiators as soon as the heat became too intense.)

These examples showcase the ongoing or repeated actions in the past, where “désurchauffer” is used to describe the act of cooling down various objects or systems.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of désurchauffer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je désurchauffais Je désurchauffais le moteur. I was overheating the engine.
tu désurchauffais Tu désurchauffais la pièce. You were overheating the room.
il désurchauffait Il désurchauffait le radiateur. He was overheating the radiator.
elle désurchauffait Elle désurchauffait le four. She was overheating the oven.
on désurchauffait On désurchauffait le moteur. We were overheating the engine.
nous désurchauffions Nous désurchauffions l’appareil. We were overheating the device.
vous désurchauffiez Vous désurchauffiez la maison. You were overheating the house.
ils désurchauffaient Ils désurchauffaient le moteur. They were overheating the engine.
elles désurchauffaient Elles désurchauffaient le climatiseur. They were overheating the air conditioner.

Other Conjugations for Désurchauffer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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