Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb distancer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb distancer

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The English translation of the French verb “distancer” is “to distance” or “to outdistance.” The infinitive form of “distancer” is pronounced as dee-stahn-seh.

The verb “distancer” comes from the Latin word “distare,” meaning “to stand apart.” In everyday French, “distancer” is predominantly used in the imparfait tense, which indicates an ongoing or habitual action in the past. It is often employed when describing situations where someone or something was keeping a distance from others or surpassing them. Here are three examples of its usage in the imparfait tense along with their English translations:

  1. Nous les distancions facilement lors des courses. (We used to easily outdistance them during races.)
  2. La voiture de course distançait les autres véhicules sur la piste. (The race car was outdistancing the other vehicles on the track.)
  3. Il distançait ses rivaux dans le classement. (He used to distance his rivals in the rankings.)

In these examples, the verb “distancer” is used to convey actions of surpassing or keeping a distance from others in the past.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of distancer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je distançais Je distançais mes concurrents. I was distancing myself from my competitors.
tu distançais Tu distançais tes amis. You were distancing yourself from your friends.
il distançait Il distançait ses adversaires. He was distancing himself from his opponents.
elle distançait Elle distançait ses collègues. She was distancing herself from her colleagues.
on distançait On distançait les autres équipes. We were distancing ourselves from the other teams.
nous distancions Nous distancions nos concurrents. We were distancing ourselves from our competitors.
vous distanciez Vous distanciez vos rivaux. You were distancing yourself from your rivals.
ils distançaient Ils distançaient leurs adversaires. They were distancing themselves from their opponents.
elles distançaient Elles distançaient leurs collègues. They were distancing themselves from their colleagues.

Other Conjugations for Distancer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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