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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb adjurer

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The English translation of the French verb adjurer is “to adjure” or “to implore.” It is pronounced as “ah-djoo-ray” in the infinitive form.

Adjurer comes from the Latin word “adjurare,” which means “to swear by.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense to express a request or supplication. The Subjonctif Imparfait tense is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past.

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

  1. Je vous adjurais de ne pas faire cela. (I implored you not to do that.)

  2. Il fallait que je l’adjurasse de me pardonner. (I had to adjure him to forgive me.)

  3. Nous espérions qu’elle nous adjurât de lui pardonner. (We hoped that she would implore us to forgive her.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je adjurasse Si je connaissais sa vérité, je l’adjurasse de me la dire. If I knew his truth, I would adjure him to tell me.
tu adurasses Si tu savais son secret, tu l’adjurasses de te le dire. If you knew his secret, you would adjure him to tell you.
il adjurât S’il avait su la réponse, il l’adjurât de lui dire. If he had known the answer, he would have adjured him to tell him.
elle adjurât Si elle savait la réponse, elle l’adjurât de la dire. If she knew the answer, she would adjure him to tell her.
on adjurât Si on avait su la réponse, on l’adjurât de la dire. If one had known the answer, one would have adjured him to tell it.
nous adjurassions Si nous savions la vérité, nous l’adjurassions de nous la dire. If we knew the truth, we would adjure him to tell us.
vous adjurassiez Si vous saviez la réponse, vous l’adjurassiez de me la dire. If you knew the answer, you would adjure him to tell me.
ils adjurassent Si ils savaient la réponse, ils l’adjurassent de nous la dire. If they knew the answer, they would adjure him to tell us.
elles adjurassent Si elles savaient la réponse, elles l’adjurassent de la dire. If they knew the answer, they would adjure him to tell it.

Other Conjugations for Adjurer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb adjurer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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