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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décaver

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The English translation of the French verb décaver is “to fall apart” or “to crumble”. It is pronounced as “day-kah-vay”.

The word décaver comes from the prefix “dé-“, which means “down” or “apart”, and the verb “caver” which means “to cave in” or “to collapse”. It is a reflexive verb and is most often used in the imperative present tense.

In everyday French, décaver is often used to describe something that is falling apart or deteriorating, either physically or in quality. It can also be used figuratively to describe a person’s mental or emotional state.

Examples:

  1. Décave ! (Fall apart!) – used to command someone or something to crumble or give in.

  2. Ne vous décavez pas ! (Don’t fall apart!) – used to encourage someone to stay strong or not give in.

  3. Cet immeuble se décave petit à petit. (This building is slowly falling apart.) – used to describe something that is physically deteriorating.

  4. Ne décave pas maintenant ! (Don’t fall apart now!) – used to encourage someone to stay strong or not give up.

  5. Les relations entre les deux pays se décavent. (The relationship between the two countries is falling apart.) – used to describe a deteriorating relationship.

  6. Dévouvrez-vous avant que vous décaviez ! (Uncover yourself before you fall apart!) – used to warn someone not to hide their true feelings.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je décave Décave un peu moins ce soir. Drink a little less tonight.
tu décave Décave avant de partir. Sober up before you leave.
il décave Il décave après une soirée arrosée. He sobers up after a night of heavy drinking.
elle décave Elle décave très vite. She sobers up very quickly.
on décavons Décavons ensemble. Let’s sober up together.
nous décavez Décavez-vous avant de conduire. Sober yourselves up before driving.
vous décavez Décavez-vous un peu. Sober up a little.
ils décavent Ils décavent toutes les nuits. They sober up every night.
elles décavent Elles décavent après une soirée. They sober up after a night out.

Other Conjugations for Décaver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décaver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   

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Décaver – 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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