Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dicter
Introduction to the verb dicter
The English translation of the French verb dicter is “to dictate.” The infinitive form is pronounced “dee-ktay.”
The word dicter comes from the Latin word dictare, which means “to say repeatedly” or “to dictate.” It entered the French language in the 12th century.
In everyday French, the verb dicter is most often used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense. This tense is used to express a possibility or uncertainty in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Imparfait tense, followed by the past participle of the verb. For dicter, it would be “avoir dicté” or “être dicté.”
Here are three simple examples of dicter in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, with the respective English translations:
- Il fallait que je dictasse la lettre avant midi. (I had to dictate the letter before noon.)
- Elle doutait que son mari lui eût dicté les mots justes. (She doubted that her husband had dictated the right words to her.)
- Nous craignions que le professeur ne nous eût dicté trop de devoirs. (We were afraid that the teacher had dictated too much homework to us.)
Table of the Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of dicter
Pronoun | Conjugation | Example Usage | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | dictasse | Si je dictasse plus lentement, ce serait plus clair. | If I dictated more slowly, it would be clearer. |
tu | dictasses | Si tu dictasses plus fort, j’entendrais mieux. | If you dictated louder, I would hear better. |
il | dictât | Il serait content si il dictât plus d’informations. | He would be happy if he dictated more information. |
elle | dictât | Elle serait surprise si elle dictât avec précision. | She would be surprised if she dictated accurately. |
on | dictât | Si on dictât moins de devoirs, on aurait plus de temps libre. | If one assigned less homework, one would have more free time. |
nous | dictassions | Si nous dictassions à tour de rôle, ça serait plus équitable. | If we took turns dictating, it would be more fair. |
vous | dictassiez | Si vous dictassiez plus clairement, je comprendrais mieux. | If you dictated more clearly, I would understand better. |
ils | dictassent | S’ils dictassent moins de mots, ça serait plus facile à écrire. | If they dictated fewer words, it would be easier to write. |
elles | dictassent | Si elles dictassent sur le même sujet, ça serait redondant. | If they dictated on the same topic, it would be redundant. |
Other Conjugations for Dicter.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb dicter
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dicter
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dicter
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dicter
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dicter
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dicter
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dicter
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dicter
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dicter
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dicter
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dicter
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dicter (this article)
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dicter
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dicter
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dicter
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dicter
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dicter
Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥
Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the dicter Subjonctif Imparfait tense conjugation!
Dicter – About the French Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense
Formation
Common Everyday Usage Patterns
Interactions with Other Tenses
Subjonctif Présent
Indicatif Passé Composé
Conditional
Conditional Perfect
Summary
I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb dicter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!