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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb avarier

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The English translation of the French verb avarier is “to damage” or “to impair.” The infinitive form, avarier, is pronounced as “ah-vah-ree-ay.”

Avarier comes from the French word “avarie,” which means “damage” or “injury.” It is derived from the Latin word “avarius,” meaning “pertaining to a ship,” as the term was originally used to describe damage to a ship.

In everyday French, avarier is most often used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past. Here are three examples of how it could be used in this tense:

  1. Il fallait que j’avarie la voiture pour que mon père me prête son camion. (I had to damage the car for my father to lend me his truck.)
  2. Je ne voulais pas que tu avaries mes affaires en les transportant. (I didn’t want you to damage my belongings while moving them.)
  3. Elle craignait que le vent avarie la voile pendant la tempête. (She feared that the wind would damage the sail during the storm.)

In these examples, the Subjonctif Imparfait tense is used to express a possibility or a desire for the action to occur in the past. It is often used in conjunction with the word “que” to indicate a subjective or uncertain statement. In the first example, the speaker wanted to borrow the truck, but in order to do so, they had to damage the car. In the second example, the speaker expresses their desire for their belongings not to be damaged while being transported. In the third example, the speaker expresses their fear of the sail being damaged by the wind.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je avariásse Je serais ravie si je avariásse. I would be delighted if I could spoil it.
tu avariasses Si tu m’aidais, tu avariasses ça. If you helped me, you would spoil it.
il avariât Il serait surpris si il avariât ça. He would be surprised if he spoiled it.
elle avariât Elle serait en colère si elle avariât sa robe. She would be angry if she spoiled her dress.
on avariât Si on avariât le plan, personne ne le verrait. If one spoiled the plan, no one would see it.
nous avariassions Si nous avariassions ce projet, nous serions renvoyés. If we spoiled this project, we would be fired.
vous avariassiez Si vous avariassiez les fleurs, elles mourraient. If you spoiled the flowers, they would die.
ils avariassent S’ils avariassent les plans, le projet serait un échec. If they spoiled the plans, the project would fail.
elles avariassent Si elles avariassent ce livre, il serait inutilisable. If they spoiled this book, it would be unusable.

Other Conjugations for Avarier.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avarier
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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