Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dévorer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dévorer

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The English translation of the French verb “dévorer” is “to devour” or “to gobble up.” The infinitive form of “dévorer” is pronounced as “day-vo-ray.”

The verb “dévorer” comes from the Latin word “devorare,” which means “to swallow down.” It is often used in everyday French in the imparfait tense to describe an ongoing or repetitive action in the past. This tense is used to set the scene, describe habits, or talk about past actions that were in progress.

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

  1. Je dévorais des livres tous les soirs. (I used to devour books every evening.)
  2. Les enfants dévoraient leurs goûters avec enthousiasme. (The children were gobbling up their snacks with enthusiasm.)
  3. Pendant mon voyage en Italie, je dévorais des pizzas chaque jour. (During my trip to Italy, I was devouring pizzas every day.)

In these examples, the imparfait tense is used to describe a habitual action of reading books every evening, an ongoing action of the children eating snacks with enthusiasm, and a repetitive action of eating pizzas every day during a trip.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of dévorer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je dévorais Je dévorais le livre. I was devouring the book.
tu dévorais Tu dévorais ton repas. You were devouring your meal.
il dévorait Il dévorait les informations. He was devouring the information.
elle dévorait Elle dévorait les bonbons. She was devouring the candies.
on dévorait On dévorait les pizzas. We were devouring the pizzas.
nous dévorions Nous dévorions les gâteaux. We were devouring the cakes.
vous dévoriez Vous dévoriez les fruits. You were devouring the fruits.
ils dévoraient Ils dévoraient les hamburgers. They were devouring the hamburgers.
elles dévoraient Elles dévoraient les glaces. They were devouring the ice creams.

Other Conjugations for Dévorer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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