Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dévoyer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dévoyer

Get the imperfect (imparfait) tense conjugation of dévoyer. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb “dévoyer” is “to lead astray” or “to mislead.” The infinitive form of “dévoyer” is pronounced as “day-vwah-yay.”

The word “dévoyer” originated from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (indicating negation or reversal) and the verb “voyer” (meaning “to guide” or “to direct”). It is primarily used in everyday French to express the action of diverting someone from the right path or misleading them.

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

  1. Quand j’étais enfant, mes amis me dévoyaient avec leurs mauvaises influences.
    (When I was a child, my friends were leading me astray with their bad influences.)

  2. Elle dévoyait régulièrement ses collègues avec des rumeurs infondées.
    (She used to regularly mislead her colleagues with unfounded rumors.)

  3. Nous étions dévoyés par cette publicité trompeuse qui nous incitait à acheter des produits inutiles.
    (We were being led astray by this deceptive advertisement that encouraged us to buy unnecessary products.)

Please note that the imparfait tense is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, which aligns with the context of leading astray in the provided examples.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of dévoyer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je dévoyais Je dévoyais les règles. I was breaking the rules.
tu dévoyais Tu dévoyais sa confiance. You were betraying his/her trust.
il dévoyait Il dévoyait ses principes. He was abandoning his principles.
elle dévoyait Elle dévoyait son engagement. She was reneging on her commitment.
on dévoyait On dévoyait la vérité. We were distorting the truth.
nous dévoyions Nous dévoyions notre mission. We were deviating from our mission.
vous dévoyiez Vous dévoyiez leur confiance. You were misusing their trust.
ils dévoyaient Ils dévoyaient le processus. They were perverting the process.
elles dévoyaient Elles dévoyaient les valeurs. They were distorting the values.

Other Conjugations for Dévoyer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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