Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dévaler

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dévaler

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The English translation of the French verb dévaler is “to rush down” or “to hurtle down.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-vah-lay.”

Dévaler is derived from the Old French word “valler,” meaning “to go down” or “to descend.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of rapidly descending or moving downhill. It can refer to physical actions such as rushing down a slope or descending stairs quickly, as well as metaphorical actions like devouring food or reading quickly.

Examples of dévaler in the imparfait tense with their translations:

  1. Chaque matin, je dévalais les escaliers pour attraper mon bus.
    (Every morning, I would rush down the stairs to catch my bus.)

  2. Les enfants dévalaient la colline en riant de bon cœur.
    (The children were hurtling down the hill, laughing heartily.)

  3. Pendant le pique-nique, nous dévalions les sandwiches sans même les savourer.
    (During the picnic, we would gobble down the sandwiches without even savoring them.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of dévaler

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je dévalais Je dévalais la colline. I was going down the hill.
tu dévalais Tu dévalais les escaliers. You were going down the stairs.
il dévalait Il dévalait la pente. He was going down the slope.
elle dévalait Elle dévalait la rue. She was going down the street.
on dévalait On dévalait la montagne. We were going down the mountain.
nous dévalions Nous dévalions la vallée. We were going down the valley.
vous dévaliez Vous dévaliez le sentier. You were going down the trail.
ils dévalaient Ils dévalaient les marches. They were going down the steps.
elles dévalaient Elles dévalaient les collines. They were going down the hills.

Other Conjugations for Dévaler.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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