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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affabuler

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The English translation of the French verb affabuler is “to fabricate” or “to make up stories”. The infinitive form is pronounced ah-fah-byoo-leh.

The word affabuler comes from the Latin word “affabulare” which means “to speak”. In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense to express a hypothetical situation or a wish.

Some examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Je souhaitais que tu affabulasses une histoire amusante pour nous divertir. (I wished that you would make up a funny story to entertain us.)
  2. Il fallait que nous affabulassions une excuse plausible pour expliquer notre absence. (We had to fabricate a believable excuse to explain our absence.)
  3. J’aimerais que vous affabulassiez un peu moins et que vous disiez la vérité. (I would like it if you fabricated less and told the truth.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je affabulasse Si j’étais écrivain, je affabulasse chaque jour. If I were a writer, I would write every day.
tu affabulasses Si tu affabulasses moins, tu serais plus crédible. If you fabricated less, you would be more credible.
il affabulât Il serait surpris si il affabulât ses propres histoires. He would be surprised if he made up his own stories.
elle affabulât Elle serait contente si elle affabulât bien. She would be happy if she fabricated well.
on affabulât Si on affabulât moins, on se concentrerait plus. If one fabricated less, one would focus more.
nous affabulassions Si nous affabulassions ensemble, ça serait amusant. If we fabricated together, it would be fun.
vous affabulassiez Si vous affabulassiez plus lentement, vous réfléchiriez mieux. If you fabricated more slowly, you would think better.
ils affabulassent S’ils affabulassent ensemble, ça serait intéressant. If they fabricated together, it would be interesting.
elles affabulassent Si elles affabulassent plus, elles créeraient plus d’histoires. If they fabricated more, they would create more stories.

Other Conjugations for Affabuler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affabuler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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