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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb balkaniser

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The English translation of the French verb balkaniser is “to Balkanize.” It is pronounced “bal-ka-neez-ay” in its infinitive form.

The term “balkaniser” comes from the word “Balkans,” a geographical region in Southeast Europe that has a diverse cultural and political history. It was first used in French in the early 20th century to describe the fragmentation and division of this region into smaller, often conflicting territories.

In everyday French, balkaniser is most often used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past. This tense is commonly used when talking about something that could have happened in the past, but did not.

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

  1. Il fallait qu’ils balkanisent le pays pour mieux le contrôler. (They needed to Balkanize the country to better control it.)
  2. Si les tensions continuaient, le pays risquait de se balkaniser. (If the tensions continued, the country could risk Balkanizing itself.)
  3. Je craignais que l’entreprise ne se balkanise en différents départements rivaux. (I was afraid that the company would Balkanize into different rival departments.)

In all of these examples, the Subjonctif Imparfait tense is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain situation in the past. The use of “balkaniser” emphasizes the idea of division, fragmentation, and conflict, which is the core meaning of the word.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je balkanisasse Si j’étais président, je balkanisasse le pays. If I were president, I would balkanize the country.
tu balkanisasses Si tu avais plus de pouvoir, tu balkanisasses plus de régions. If you had more power, you would balkanize more regions.
il balkanisât Il serait inquiet si il balkanisât les frontières. He would be worried if he balkanized the borders.
elle balkanisât Elle serait opposée si elle balkanisât les religions. She would be opposed if she balkanized religions.
on balkanisât Si on balkanisât le monde, il y aurait plus de conflits. If one balkanized the world, there would be more conflicts.
nous balkanisassions Si nous balkanisassions les cultures, nous perdions notre diversité. If we balkanized cultures, we would lose our diversity.
vous balkanisassiez Si vous balkanisassiez les opinions, vous perdriez l’unité. If you balkanized opinions, you would lose unity.
ils balkanisassent S’ils balkanisassent les régions, ça créerait des divisions. If they balkanized regions, it would create divisions.
elles balkanisassent Si elles balkanisassent les langues, ça serait difficile de communiquer. If they balkanized languages, it would be difficult to communicate.

Other Conjugations for Balkaniser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balkaniser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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