Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
Introduction to the verb diminuer
The English translation of the French verb “diminuer” is “to decrease” or “to diminish.” The infinitive form “diminuer” is pronounced as dee-mee-nyuh.
The verb “diminuer” originates from the Latin word “diminuere,” meaning “to lessen” or “to make smaller.” In everyday French, “diminuer” is most often used in the imparfait tense, which is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past.
Here are three examples of “diminuer” used in the imparfait tense with their respective English translations:
- Les prix diminuaient chaque mois. (The prices were decreasing every month.)
- Mon stress diminuait quand j’étais à la plage. (My stress was diminishing when I was at the beach.)
- La population du village diminuait petit à petit. (The population of the village was decreasing little by little.)
In these examples, “diminuer” is used to describe ongoing actions in the past, indicating a continuous decrease or diminishing of something.
Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of diminuer
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | diminuais | Je diminuais ma consommation. | I was reducing my consumption. |
tu | diminuais | Tu diminuais le bruit. | You were decreasing the noise. |
il | diminuait | Il diminuait sa vitesse. | He was slowing down. |
elle | diminuait | Elle diminuait ses dépenses. | She was cutting down her expenses. |
on | diminuait | On diminuait les émissions de carbone. | We were reducing carbon emissions. |
nous | diminuions | Nous diminuions nos déchets. | We were reducing our waste. |
vous | diminuiez | Vous diminuiez le stress. | You were reducing the stress. |
ils | diminuaient | Ils diminuaient leur consommation d’énergie. | They were reducing their energy consumption. |
elles | diminuaient | Elles diminuaient leur utilisation d’eau. | They were reducing their water usage. |
Other Conjugations for Diminuer.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diminuer
Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥
Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the diminuer imparfait tense conjugation!
Diminuer – About the French Imparfait Tense
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
For regular -er verbs:
For regular -ir verbs
For regular -re verbs
Common Everyday Usage Patterns
Description of Past Habits
Background Information
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
Points to Note About the Imparfait Tense
Passé Composé vs. Imparfait
Conditional
Si Clauses
Narration
I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb diminuer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!