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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décimer

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The English translation of the French verb décimer is “to decimate.” It is pronounced as “day-see-may.”

The word décimer comes from the Latin word “decimare,” which means “to take a tenth.” In ancient Rome, it referred to the practice of punishing a military unit by executing one-tenth of its soldiers. Over time, the meaning evolved to refer to the destruction or reduction of a large portion of something.

In everyday French, décimer is most often used in the L’impératif Présent tense, which is the imperative tense used to give commands or orders. It is formed by removing the final “-r” from the infinitive form and adding the imperative endings -e, -ons, and -ez.

Here are three examples of its usage in the L’impératif Présent tense:

  1. Décimez vos ennemis ! (Decimate your enemies!)

  2. Ne décimons pas la forêt pour nos besoins ! (Let’s not decimate the forest for our needs!)

  3. Décimez ces mauvaises herbes dans le jardin. (Decimate these weeds in the garden.)

In French, décimer can also be used in other tenses and moods, such as the passé composé (J’ai décimé), the conditionnel (Je décimerais), and the subjonctif (Il faut que nous décimions). In each case, the meaning is still “to decimate.”

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je décime Décime toutes les mauvaises herbes. Decimate all the weeds.
tu décime Décime les ennemis avant qu’ils ne te déciment. Decimate the enemies before they decimate you.
il décime Décime les animaux malades. Decimate the sick animals.
elle décime Elle décime la population des insectes. She is decimating the insect population.
on décime On décime les forêts avec la déforestation. We are decimating forests with deforestation.
nous décimons Décimons cette équipe en finale. Let’s decimate this team in the final.
vous décimez Décimez votre ennemi avec vos connaissances. Decimate your enemy with your knowledge.
ils déciment Ils déciment les réserves naturelles. They are decimating natural reserves.
elles déciment Elles déciment les colonies de fourmis. They are decimating ant colonies.

Other Conjugations for Décimer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décimer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   

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Décimer – 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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