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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb devancer

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The English translation of the French verb devancer is “to surpass” or “to outdo”. It is pronounced as “duh-vahn-say”.

Devancer comes from the Old French word “devancier”, which means “to go before” or “to advance”. It can be used as a transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object, or as a reflexive verb with “se” in front of it. In the L’impératif Présent tense, it is most often used as a transitive verb.

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

  1. Devance-le ! (Surpass him!)
  2. Dépêche-toi de me devancer ! (Hurry up and outdo me!)
  3. Ne te laisse pas devancer par les autres ! (Don’t let yourself be surpassed by others!)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je devance Devance-moi si tu peux. Get ahead of me if you can.
tu devance Devance tes adversaires. Get ahead of your opponents.
il devance Il devance toujours ses collègues. He always surpasses his colleagues.
elle devance Elle devance sa soeur en taille. She’s taller than her sister.
on devance On devance les autres candidats. We’re ahead of the other candidates.
nous devançons Nous devançons les autres équipes. We’re ahead of the other teams.
vous devancez Devancez vos concurrents. Get ahead of your competitors.
ils devancent Ils devancent leurs camarades. They’re ahead of their classmates.
elles devancent Elles devancent les garçons dans la course. They’re ahead of the boys in the race.

Other Conjugations for Devancer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb devancer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   

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Devancer – 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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