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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb débrayer

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The English translation of the French verb débrayer is “to disengage” or “to release”. It is pronounced as “day-bray-ay”.

Débrayer comes from the French word “brayer” which means “to engage” or “to put in gear”. Débrayer is the opposite and means to remove from gear or disengage. It is most often used in every day French in the L’impératif Présent tense, which is the imperative present tense.

Three simple examples of débrayer in the L’impératif Présent tense are:

  1. Débraye la voiture avant de sortir! (Disengage the car before getting out!)
  2. Débrayez le levier pour changer de vitesse. (Release the lever to change gears.)
  3. N’oublie pas de débrayer avant de démarrer. (Don’t forget to disengage before starting.)

Table of the L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of débrayer

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je débraye Débraye avant de descendre. Disengage before getting off.
tu débrayes Débrayes le levier de vitesse. Disengage the gear lever.
il débraye Il débraye trop tôt. He disengages too early.
elle débraye Elle débraye pour changer de vitesse. She disengages to change gears.
on débraye On débraye avant de freiner. We disengage before braking.
nous débrayons Débrayons et prenons un pause. Let’s disengage and take a break.
vous débrayez Débrayez la voiture. Disengage the car.
ils débrayent Ils débrayent pour repartir. They disengage to start again.
elles débrayent Elles débrayent avant de changer de vitesse. They disengage before changing gears.

Other Conjugations for Débrayer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débrayer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débrayer  (this article)

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

   

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Débrayer – About the French L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense

L’impératif Présent is a mood in the French language that is used to give commands, make requests, offer advice, or express a desire in the present tense. It’s a relatively simple tense and is used to address someone directly. Let’s dive into its usage, conjugation, and interactions with other tenses:
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Usage

Giving commands

You use l’impératif présent to give direct commands or orders. It is often used in informal and formal situations to tell someone to do or not do something. For example:

   – Mange ta soupe. (Eat your soup.)
   – Ferme la porte. (Close the door.)

Making requests

You can also use the imperative to make polite requests. In this case, it is a gentler way to ask someone to do something. For example:
  
   – Parle plus lentement, s’il te plaît. (Speak more slowly, please.)

Offering advice

It’s common to use l’impératif to give advice or suggestions:
   – Étudie bien pour ton examen. (Study well for your exam.)

Expressing desires

You can express your desires or wishes using the imperative:
   – Amuse-toi bien à la fête. (Have a good time at the party.)

Conjugation Formation

To form l’impératif présent, you need to use the base form of the verb without the subject pronoun (tu, nous, vous, etc.). The conjugation varies depending on the type of verb:
Regular -ER verbs (e.g., parler)
  – Tu: Parle (speak)
  – Nous: Parlons (let’s speak)
  – Vous: Parlez (speak)
Regular -IR verbs (e.g., finir)
  – Tu: Finis (finish)
  – Nous: Finissons (let’s finish)
  – Vous: Finissez (finish)
Regular -RE verbs (e.g., vendre)
  – Tu: Vends (sell)
  – Nous: Vendons (let’s sell)
  – Vous: Vendez (sell)
Irregular verbs (e.g., être, avoir, aller)
  – Tu: Sois (be), aie (have), va (go)
  – Nous: Soyons (let’s be), ayons (let’s have), allons (let’s go)
  – Vous: Soyez (be), ayez (have), allez (go)

Interactions with other tenses

L’impératif is used exclusively in the present tense and does not interact with other tenses in the same way as indicative or subjunctive moods. 
It’s used for direct commands and requests in the here and now. However, in more formal or written contexts, you might find the imperative used with expressions like “quand tu auras fini” (when you have finished) or “dès que tu seras prêt” (as soon as you are ready), which introduce a future action while maintaining the imperative mood for the main verb.
For example:
– Quand tu auras fini ton travail, viens me voir. (When you have finished your work, come see me.)
In this case, the imperative is used in conjunction with future actions, but it’s still employed for the main verb to convey a sense of directness or immediacy.

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