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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb acculer

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The English translation of the French verb acculer is “to corner” or “to back into a corner.” The infinitive form is pronounced “ah-kew-lay.”

Acculer comes from the Latin word “culum” meaning “backside” and the prefix “ad” meaning “to.” It first appeared in the French language in the 13th century.

In everyday French, acculer is most often used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past. It is often used in conjunction with the word “si” (if).

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si tu m’acculais, je ne pourrais pas m’échapper. (If you were to back me into a corner, I wouldn’t be able to escape.)
  2. Il craignait que je l’acculasse et le force à avouer la vérité. (He was afraid that I would corner him and force him to confess the truth.)
  3. Nous ne savions pas comment réagir si les rebelles nous acculaient. (We didn’t know how to react if the rebels were to back us into a corner.)

The English translations of these sentences would be:

  1. If you were to corner me, I wouldn’t be able to escape.
  2. He was afraid that I would back him into a corner and force him to confess the truth.
  3. We didn’t know how to react if the rebels were to back us into a corner.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je acculasse Si je n’avais pas peur, j’acculasse mes peurs. If I wasn’t afraid, I would face my fears.
tu acculasses Si tu ne fuyais pas, tu acculasses ton ennemi. If you didn’t run away, you would corner your enemy.
il acculât Si il était plus courageux, il acculât ses démons. If he were braver, he would confront his demons.
elle acculât Si elle n’avait pas peur, elle acculât ses craintes. If she wasn’t afraid, she would face her fears.
on acculât Si on était plus déterminé, on acculât nos ennemis. If one were more determined, one would corner our enemies.
nous acculassions Si nous étions plus forts, nous acculassions nos adversaires. If we were stronger, we would corner our opponents.
vous acculassiez Si vous étiez plus courageux, vous acculassiez vos peurs. If you were braver, you would face your fears.
ils acculassent Si ils étaient plus confiants, ils acculassent leurs ennemis. If they were more confident, they would corner their enemies.
elles acculassent Si elles étaient plus déterminées, elles acculassent leurs adversaires. If they were more determined, they would corner their opponents.

Other Conjugations for Acculer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acculer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Acculer – 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 acculer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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