How to Conjugate "Déranger" (to Disturb)

Déranger is the French verb that means "to disturb." This one's easy to remember if you think of the English "derange," which is a synonym of "disturb" in some circumstances. In order to change the verb meaning to "disturbed" or "disturbing," a conjugation is required and a quick lesson will walk you through this.

Conjugating the French Verb Déranger

Déranger is a spelling change verb and it follows a pattern found in similar verbs that end in -ger. This includes corriger (to correct) and bouger (to move) and there's a good reason behind the subtle changes.

When the letter 'G' is followed by a hard vowel like an 'A' or 'O,' it typically uses a hard 'G' sound. However, in words like déranger, we want to retain the soft 'G' and that is why an 'I' sometimes replaces the 'E' in conjugations. 

Using the table, study the verb endings attached to the stem dérang-. Match the subject pronoun to the present, future, or imperfect past tense to find the correct form to use. For instance, "I disturb" is "je dérange" and "we will disturb" is "nous avons dérangerons."

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Introduction to the French Word Déranger

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The Present Participle of Déranger

The present participle of déranger is dérangeant. This is done by simply adding -ant to the verb stem. Beyond its usage as a verb, this can also become an adjective, gerund, or noun in some instances.

Another Common Past Tense Form 

The passé composé is a common way to say the past tense "disturbed" in French. To use it, conjugate the auxiliary, or "helping" verb avoir to fit the subject pronoun, then attach the past participle dérangé.

As an example, "I disturbed" is "j'ai dérangé" and "we disturbed" is "nous avons dérangé." Notice how the ai and avons are conjugates of avoir and that the past participle does not change.

More Simple Déranger Conjugations

The subjunctive verb mood is used when the verb has a level of uncertainty. Similarly, the conditional verb mood implies that the action is dependent on something else. These two verb forms are quite useful, especially with a verb like déranger where the "disturbance" may be questionable.

Used with less frequency, you will often only come across the passé composé and the imperfect subjunctive in formal writing.

To express déranger in an exclamation, demand, or request, the imperative form is used. For this conjugation, the subject pronoun is not required, so "tu dérange" can be shortened to "dérange."