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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décontracter

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The English translation of the French verb décontracter is “to relax” or “to unwind.” It is pronounced as “day-kon-trak-tay.”

Décontracter is derived from the French word “contracter,” which means “to contract” or “to tighten.” The prefix “dé-” denotes a reversal or opposite action, making décontracter the opposite of contracter.

In everyday French, décontracter is most often used in the L’infinitif Présent tense to talk about a physical or mental state of relaxation or to describe an action that helps one to relax.

Here are three simple examples of décontracter in the L’infinitif Présent tense with their English translations:

  1. Je décontracte mes muscles après une longue journée de travail. (I relax my muscles after a long day at work.)
  2. Nous aimons décontracter en regardant un bon film. (We like to unwind by watching a good movie.)
  3. Pour te décontracter, essaie de faire du yoga ou de la méditation. (To relax, try doing yoga or meditation.)

In these examples, décontracter is used to talk about the action of relaxing or the state of being relaxed. It can also be used in the imperative form, such as “Décontracte-toi !” (Relax!) or “Décontractez-vous !” (Relax yourselves!) to give a command or instruction to relax.

Table of the L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of décontracter

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je décontracte Je décontracte mes muscles. I relax my muscles.
tu décontractes Tu décontractes ta mâchoire. You relax your jaw.
il décontracte Il décontracte son cou. He relaxes his neck.
elle décontracte Elle se décontracte avant l’examen. She relaxes before the exam.
on décontracte On se décontracte en écoutant de la musique. We relax by listening to music.
nous décontractons Nous décontractons nos muscles. We relax our muscles.
vous décontractez Vous décontractez vos épaules. You relax your shoulders.
ils décontractent Ils décontractent après une longue journée. They relax after a long day.
elles décontractent Elles se décontractent en faisant du yoga. They relax by doing yoga.

Other Conjugations for Décontracter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter  (this article)

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Décontracter – About the French L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense

BEFORE you continue…. why not take a deep dive into all the French tenses with my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.
The French “l’infinitif présent” (Infinitive Present) tense is not a true verb tense in the same way that the present, past, or future tenses are. Instead, it’s the base form of a verb, and it has several important uses and interactions with other tenses.

Forming the Infinitive Present

To form the infinitive present of a verb, you typically take the unconjugated form of the verb (the form you’d find in a French dictionary) and remove the ending. For regular verbs, you remove the -er, -ir, or -re ending, and you’re left with the infinitive. For example:
   – Parler (to speak)
   – Finir (to finish)
   – Vendre (to sell)

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

As a Verb’s Dictionary Form

The most common use of the infinitive present is to represent a verb in its base form. It’s the form you would find in a dictionary or verb conjugation table.

After Modal Verbs

When you use modal verbs like “pouvoir” (can), “vouloir” (want), or “devoir” (must), the verb that follows is in its infinitive form. For example:
     – Je veux manger. (I want to eat.)
     – Il peut parler français. (He can speak French.)

As an Imperative

In informal commands, the infinitive is often used. For example:
     – Ferme la porte. (Close the door.)

In Infinitive Clauses

In complex sentences, especially after certain conjunctions, the infinitive is used to express actions that are separate from the main verb. For example:
     – J’ai besoin de manger avant de partir. (I need to eat before leaving.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Present Tense

The infinitive present can be used with the present tense to express ongoing actions or habitual actions. For example:
     – J’aime manger des croissants. (I like eating croissants.)

Future Tense

When combined with the future tense of “aller,” the infinitive present can express future actions. For example:
     – Je vais manger au restaurant demain. (I am going to eat at the restaurant tomorrow.)

Conditional Tense

The infinitive present is often used with the conditional to express actions that would happen in a hypothetical situation. For example:

     – Il mangerait s’il avait faim. (He would eat if he were hungry.)

Passé Composé

When forming compound tenses like “passé composé,” the auxiliary verb (être or avoir) is conjugated, and the main verb remains in its infinitive form. For example:
     – J’ai mangé une pomme. (I ate an apple.)
     – Elle est partie. (She left.)

Imperfect Tense

The infinitive present can be combined with the imperfect tense to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. For example:
     – Quand j’étais enfant, j’aimais jouer. (When I was a child, I liked to play.)

Subjunctive and Conditional Moods

In some complex sentences, the infinitive can be used with the subjunctive and conditional moods, especially when expressing uncertainty, possibility, or doubt.

Summary

The infinitive present in French serves as the base form of a verb and is used in various contexts, including after modal verbs, in imperative commands, in infinitive clauses, and in combination with other tenses to convey a wide range of meanings and actions. Its flexibility makes it a fundamental part of French grammar.

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