Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déverrouiller

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déverrouiller

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The English translation of the French verb déverrouiller is “to unlock”. The infinitive form “déverrouiller” is pronounced as day-vuh-roo-yay.

Déverrouiller comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (meaning “un-” or “de-“) and the verb “verrouiller” (meaning “to lock”). In everyday French, déverrouiller is used to refer to the action of opening or unlocking something that was previously locked.

Three examples of déverrouiller in the imparfait tense, along with their respective English translations, are:

  1. Je déverrouillais la porte tous les matins. (I used to unlock the door every morning.)
  2. Pendant mes vacances, nous déverrouillions souvent les portes de la maison. (During my vacation, we used to often unlock the doors of the house.)
  3. Tu déverrouillais ton téléphone avant de le prendre en main. (You used to unlock your phone before handling it.)

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of déverrouiller

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je déverrouillais Je déverrouillais la porte. I was unlocking the door.
tu déverrouillais Tu déverrouillais ton téléphone. You were unlocking your phone.
il déverrouillait Il déverrouillait la voiture. He was unlocking the car.
elle déverrouillait Elle déverrouillait la valise. She was unlocking the suitcase.
on déverrouillait On déverrouillait la porte d’entrée. We were unlocking the front door.
nous déverrouillions Nous déverrouillions les fichiers. We were unlocking the files.
vous déverrouilliez Vous déverrouilliez la porte de sécurité. You were unlocking the security door.
ils déverrouillaient Ils déverrouillaient les boîtes. They were unlocking the boxes.
elles déverrouillaient Elles déverrouillaient les cadenas. They were unlocking the padlocks.

Other Conjugations for Déverrouiller.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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