Francisez | Learn to conjugate verbs in the imperfect tense of the subjunctive

Learn to conjugate verbs in the imperfect tense of the subjunctive

L'imparfait (littéraire) du subjonctif

What is the subjunctive?
When do you use the subjunctive?

Help legend:

Example if subjunctive were used in English

When to use

The subjunctive imperfect is used when the main clause is in the past tense and the subjunctive clause, the subordinate, didn't happen first. Learn when to use the subjunctive here. The subjunctive imperfect is also a literary tense for the subjunctive present tense, it can only be used when writing newspapers, novels, etc. The English equivalents are as follows:

Subjunctive perfect tense
The tense that is composed with the '-ed' ending.

Eg. She wanted me to come.
Eg. She wanted that I come.

Examples of use

Eg. 1)

Elle a recommandé que je prisse des vacances.

She recommended that I go on holiday.

Eg. 2)

Il était nécessaire qu'on parlât avec le voisin.

It was necessary that you speak to the neighbor.

Eg. 3)

Je ne voulais pas que tu vînt.

I didn't want you to come.
I didn't want that you come.

How to conjugate

Add the following endings to the singular third person, il form, of the indicative simple past tense. For -ir and -re verbs, you'll also need to drop the final 't'. Notice that the singular third person, il form, will get a circumflex on its last vowel.

Je	-sse	I
Tu	-sses	you (s.)
Il	- î ı t	he, she, it
Nous	-ssions	we
Vous	-ssiez	you (p., pol.)
Ils	-ssent	they

Examples of conjugation

-er verb
parler il parla to speak
Je	parlasse
Tu	parlasses
Il	parl â a t
Nous	parlassions
Vous	parlassiez
Ils	parlassent

-ir verb
choisir il choisit to choose
Je	choisisse
Tu	choisisses
Il	chois î ı t
Nous	choisissions
Vous	choisissiez
Ils	choisissent

-re verb
vendre il vendit to sell
Je	vendisse
Tu	vendisses
Il	vend î ı t
Nous	vendissions
Vous	vendissiez
Ils	vendissent

Test your skills in the 'Conjugation game' with DELF A1 verbs!

Notable points

Literary tenses

There are 5 literary tenses in French which all have spoken equivalents and the subjunctive imperfect is one of them. It is also important to note that written tenses are used in literature, journalism, historical texts and narration. The following is a table of literary and spoken equivalents:

Literary	Spoken
IND. simple past	IND passé composé
IND. past perfect	IND. plus-que-parfait
SUBJ. imperfect*	SUBJ. present
SUBJ. plus-que-parfait**	SUBJ. past
COND. 2^nd past	COND. past

* The subjunctive imperfect tense is only the literary form when main clause is in the past tense and the subjunctive clause, the subordinate, didn't happen first.
** The subjunctive plus-que-parfait tense is only the literary form when the main clause is in the past tense and the subjunctive clause happened before the main clause.

Other moods and tenses

Participles	Present Past
Indicative	Present Imperfect Simple Future Simple Past Passé composé Plus-que-parfait Past Perfect Future Perfect	-ER -IR -RE -ER -IR -RE
Subjunctive	Present Imperfect Plus-que-parfait Past
Conditional	Present Past Past (2^nd)
Imperative	Present Past

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