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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb archiver

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The English translation of the French verb archiver is “to archive.” It is pronounced as “ar-shee-vay” in its infinitive form.

The word “archiver” comes from the Latin word “archivum,” meaning “a place for records.” It entered the French language in the 15th century and has been used to refer to the action of storing or organizing records or documents.

In everyday French, archiver is most often used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past. Here are three examples of its usage in this tense, with their corresponding English translations:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu archivasses ces documents plus tôt. (I wish you had archived these documents earlier.)

  2. Il était important que nous archivassions ces dossiers avant la fin de la semaine. (It was important for us to archive these files before the end of the week.)

  3. Si j’avais su, j’aurais archivé ces photos il y a longtemps. (If I had known, I would have archived these photos a long time ago.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je archivasse Si je travaillais en tant qu’assistante, j’archivasse tous les dossiers. If I worked as an assistant, I would archive all the files.
tu archivasses Si tu étais plus organisé, tu archivasses mieux. If you were more organized, you would archive better.
il archivât Il serait plus efficace s’il archivât régulièrement. He would be more efficient if he archived regularly.
elle archivât Elle serait plus rapide si elle archivât correctement. She would be faster if she archived properly.
on archivât Si on archivât plus souvent, on trouverait les documents plus rapidement. If one archived more often, one would find the documents more quickly.
nous archivassions Si nous archivassions ensemble, ça serait plus facile. If we archived together, it would be easier.
vous archivassiez Si vous archivassiez mieux, vous gagneriez du temps. If you archived better, you would save time.
ils archivassent S’ils archivassent plus soigneusement, ils trouveraient les documents plus facilement. If they archived more carefully, they would find the documents more easily.
elles archivassent Si elles archivassent ensemble, elles auraient plus de place pour travailler. If they archived together, they would have more space to work.

Other Conjugations for Archiver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb archiver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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