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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décourager

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The English translation of the French verb décourager is “to discourage.” The infinitive form, décourager, is pronounced as “day-coo-rah-zhay.”

The word décourager comes from the French prefix “dé-“, which means “to undo,” and the word “courage,” which means “courage.” Therefore, décourager literally means “to undo courage.”

In everyday French, décourager is most often used in the L’impératif Présent tense, which is the imperative form used to give commands or orders. It is a direct, forceful way of speaking and is commonly used in situations where one wants to express urgency or authority.

Here are three examples of décourager in the L’impératif Présent tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Décourageons-le ! (Let’s discourage him!)
  2. Ne découragez pas facilement ! (Don’t get discouraged easily!)
  3. Découragez-vous ! (Discourage yourself!)

In these examples, the verb décourager is used to give a command or order to discourage someone, whether it be oneself or others. The use of the imperative form adds a sense of urgency and authority to the statement, making it a strong and direct command.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je décourage Ne me décourage pas. Don’t discourage me.
tu décourages Ne décourages pas ton frère. Don’t discourage your brother.
il décourage Décourage-le s’il le faut. Discourage him if necessary.
elle décourage Ne décourage pas l’équipe. Don’t discourage the team.
on décourage Ne nous décourageons pas. Let’s not get discouraged.
nous décourageons Décourageons la violence. Let’s discourage violence.
vous découragez Découragez les mauvaises habitudes. Discourage bad habits.
ils découragent Découragent les élèves. They discourage students.
elles découragent Ne découragent pas les jeunes filles. Don’t discourage young girls.

Other Conjugations for Décourager.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décourager
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   

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Décourager – 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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