Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déventer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déventer

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The English translation of the French verb “déventer” is “to unvent” or “to stop the wind from entering.” Pronounced as /deuh-vahn-teh/.

The verb “déventer” comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (indicating reversal) and the verb “venter” (meaning “to vent” or “to let wind in”). It is not a commonly used verb in everyday French, and its usage in the imparfait tense is quite limited.

Here are three simple examples of how “déventer” can be used in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Quand j’étais enfant, ma grand-mère déventait toujours sa maison pour laisser entrer l’air frais. (When I was a child, my grandmother would always unvent her house to let in fresh air.)
  2. Pendant l’été, ils déventaient leurs tentes pour éviter qu’elles deviennent trop chaudes. (During the summer, they would stop the wind from entering their tents to prevent them from becoming too hot.)
  3. Les anciennes maisons du village déventaient naturellement, ce qui permettait de garder une température agréable à l’intérieur. (The old houses in the village would naturally unvent, which helped maintain a pleasant temperature inside.)

Please note that the usage of “déventer” in the imparfait tense can be quite rare, and it is more commonly used in other tenses or as a noun (le déventage) referring to the action of unventing.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of déventer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je déventais Je déventais la maison. I was airing out the house.
tu déventais Tu déventais la chambre. You were airing out the room.
il déventait Il déventait le salon. He was airing out the living room.
elle déventait Elle déventait la cuisine. She was airing out the kitchen.
on déventait On déventait les pièces. We were airing out the rooms.
nous déventions Nous déventions l’appartement. We were airing out the apartment.
vous déventiez Vous déventiez votre maison. You were airing out your house.
ils déventaient Ils déventaient la cave. They were airing out the basement.
elles déventaient Elles déventaient le grenier. They were airing out the attic.

Other Conjugations for Déventer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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