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

Introduction to the verb diagnostiquer

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The English translation of the French verb diagnostiquer is “to diagnose”. It is pronounced as “dee-ahg-nohs-tee-kay”.

Diagnostiquer is a verb derived from the Greek word “diagnōstikós” which means “able to distinguish”. It entered the French language in the 14th century and is used in both medical and non-medical contexts.

In everyday French, diagnostiquer is most often used in the Passé Antérieur tense, which is the literary past tense used to describe an action that occurred before another action in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the passé simple tense followed by the past participle of the verb.

Here are three examples of diagnostiquer in the Passé Antérieur tense with their English translations:

  1. Les médecins ont diagnostiqué la maladie avant qu’il ne soit trop tard. (The doctors diagnosed the disease before it was too late.)
  2. Elle a diagnostiqué une fracture à son pied après avoir passé une radiographie. (She diagnosed a fracture in her foot after getting an X-ray.)
  3. Lorsqu’ils ont diagnostiqué le problème, ils ont rapidement trouvé une solution. (When they diagnosed the problem, they quickly found a solution.)

Table of the Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of diagnostiquer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’eus diagnostiqué J’eus diagnostiqué la maladie I had diagnosed the illness
tu tu eus diagnostiqué Tu eus diagnostiqué la maladie You had diagnosed the illness
il il eut diagnostiqué Il eut diagnostiqué la maladie He had diagnosed the illness
elle elle eut diagnostiqué Elle eut diagnostiqué la maladie She had diagnosed the illness
on on eut diagnostiqué On eut diagnostiqué la maladie One had diagnosed the illness
nous nous eûmes diagnostiqué Nous eûmes diagnostiqué la maladie We had diagnosed the illness
vous vous eûtes diagnostiqué Vous eûtes diagnostiqué la maladie You had diagnosed the illness
ils ils eurent diagnostiqué Ils eurent diagnostiqué la maladie They had diagnosed the illness
elles elles eurent diagnostiqué Elles eurent diagnostiqué la maladie They had diagnosed the illness

Other Conjugations for Diagnostiquer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diagnostiquer
   

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

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

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

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

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

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diagnostiquer (this article)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Diagnostiquer – About the French Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense

The French Passé Antérieur tense, often referred to as the “past anterior” in English, is a literary and formal past tense that is not commonly used in everyday spoken French. It is primarily found in written language, particularly in literature, historical texts, and formal writing. This tense is used to express actions that occurred before another action in the past, serving a similar purpose to the past perfect tense (passé composé) in English.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation of the Passé Antérieur

The Passé Antérieur is formed by using the third person singular of the passé simple (simple past) tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of the main verb. 
The choice between “avoir” and “être” as the auxiliary verb depends on the main verb and its transitivity or intransitivity. Here is the basic structure:
1. For verbs that use “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – J’eus (I had) + past participle (of the main verb)
2. For verbs that use “être” as the auxiliary verb:
   – Je fus (I was) + past participle (of the main verb)

Common Usage Patterns

As mentioned earlier, the Passé Antérieur is primarily used in formal and literary contexts. It is rarely used in everyday spoken French, where the passé composé and imparfait are more commonly used to express past actions. Some common patterns of usage include:

Literature

The Passé Antérieur is frequently used in literature to describe past events in a succinct and formal manner.

Historical Texts

It is used in historical narratives to recount past actions and events.

Formal Writing

In formal and academic writing, the Passé Antérieur can be employed to convey events in the past with a sense of formality and precision.

Interactions with Other Tenses

The Passé Antérieur often interacts with other tenses, especially when narrating past events in a chronological order:

Passé Composé (Present Perfect)

The Passé Antérieur can be used to indicate an action that occurred before another action expressed in the passé composé. For example: “Il eut terminé son travail avant que je ne sois arrivé.” (He had finished his work before I arrived).

Imparfait (Imperfect)

The Passé Antérieur may be used in conjunction with the imparfait to convey a sequence of past actions. For instance: “Elle arriva après que nous eûmes commencé.” (She arrived after we had started).

Futur Antérieur (Future Perfect)

In the context of storytelling or narration, the Passé Antérieur can be used to describe events that happened before a future action expressed in the futur antérieur. For example: “Il partira après qu’il aura fini.” (He will leave after he has finished).

Summary

Passé Antérieur is a formal past tense used in written language and literary contexts to describe actions that occurred before another action in the past. It is not commonly used in everyday spoken French where you should instead use the passé composé and imparfait for discussing past events.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb diagnostiquer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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