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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb accentuer

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The English translation of the French verb accentuer is “to accentuate” or “to emphasize.” It is pronounced as “ahk-seh-n-tew-ay” in its infinitive form.

Accentuer comes from the Latin word “accentuare,” meaning “to accent” or “to mark with an accent.” In everyday French, it is most often used to express the action of emphasizing or highlighting something.

In the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, accentuer is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past. This tense is formed by using the imperfect form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of accentuer.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. J’aurais accentué mes propos si j’avais su que cela allait te blesser. (I would have emphasized my words if I had known it would hurt you.)

  2. Il aurait fallu que tu accentues tes efforts pour réussir. (You should have accentuated your efforts to succeed.)

  3. Nous ne pensions pas que tu accentuasses tes erreurs au lieu de les corriger. (We didn’t think you were accentuating your mistakes instead of correcting them.)

Table of the Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of accentuer

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je accentuasse Je crains que je n’accentuasse pas assez. I fear that I did not emphasize enough.
tu accentuasses Si tu accordais plus d’attention, tu accentuasses mieux. If you paid more attention, you would emphasize better.
il accentuât Je lui ai demandé s’il accentuât certains mots. I asked him if he emphasized certain words.
elle accentuât Elle voudrait que je accentuât plus fort. She would like me to emphasize louder.
on accentuât Si on accentuât les syllabes, on prononcerait mieux. If one emphasized the syllables, one would pronounce better.
nous accentuassions Je me demande si nous accentuassions assez. I wonder if we emphasized enough.
vous accentuassiez Si vous accentuassiez plus, vous seriez plus clair. If you emphasized more, you would be clearer.
ils accentuassent Je n’étais pas sûr qu’ils accentuassent les bons mots. I wasn’t sure if they were emphasizing the right words.
elles accentuassent J’aimerais qu’elles accentuassent ensemble. I would like them to emphasize together.

Other Conjugations for Accentuer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accentuer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accentuer (this article)

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

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

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Accentuer – About the French Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense

The French Subjonctif Imparfait, also known as the imperfect subjunctive, is a verb tense used to express actions, states, or conditions that are uncertain, subjective, or hypothetical in the past. It is used in a variety of situations, including wishes, doubts, emotions, and polite requests, and often occurs in dependent clauses following certain expressions and conjunctions.

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

Formation

To form the Subjonctif Imparfait, you typically start with the third person plural (ils/elles) form of the verb in the imparfait (imperfect) tense. Then, you remove the -ent ending and add the appropriate endings:

– For regular -er verbs: je -sse, tu -sses, il/elle/on -t, nous -ssions, vous -ssiez, ils/elles -ssent.
– For regular -ir and -re verbs: je -sse, tu -sses, il/elle/on -t, nous -ssions, vous -ssiez, ils/elles -ssent.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

1. Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty: The Subjonctif Imparfait is used to express doubt or uncertainty about something that happened in the past.

Example: Il doutait qu’elle vînt à la fête. (He doubted that she came to the party.)

2. Wishes and Desires: It is used to express wishes or desires in the past.

Example: J’aurais aimé que tu fusses là. (I would have liked you to be there.)

3. Hypothetical Scenarios: The Subjonctif Imparfait is employed in hypothetical situations in the past.

Example: Si j’eusse su, j’aurais agi différemment. (If I had known, I would have acted differently.)
4. Polite Requests and Suggestions: It is used to make polite requests and suggestions in a formal or polite tone.

Example: Il souhaitait que vous vinssiez lui rendre visite. (He wished that you would come to visit him.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Subjonctif Présent

The Subjonctif Imparfait is often used in dependent clauses with the Subjonctif Présent in the main clause, especially in complex sentences.

Example: Il faut que tu manges bien pour que tu aies de l’énergie. (You need to eat well so that you have energy.)

Indicatif Passé Composé

The Subjonctif Imparfait can be used alongside the Indicatif Passé Composé to indicate a contrast between a factual event and a hypothetical one.

Example: Il est parti avant que tu ne fusses arrivé. (He left before you arrived.)

Conditional

The Subjonctif Imparfait is often used with the Conditional to express unreal or hypothetical situations in the past.

Example: J’aurais pu le faire si j’eusse eu plus de temps. (I could have done it if I had had more time.)

Conditional Perfect

It can also be used with the Conditional Perfect to express unreal or hypothetical past events that would have occurred before other past events.

Example: J’aurais su s’il eût partagé l’information. (I would have known if he had shared the information.)

Summary

The Subjonctif Imparfait is a relatively complex tense, and its usage depends on the context and the verbs involved. It is essential to practice and become familiar with common expressions and contexts where this tense is appropriate to use it effectively in everyday French communication.

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

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