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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bifurquer

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The English translation of the French verb bifurquer is “to fork” or “to branch off”. It is pronounced as “bee-foor-kay”.

Bifurquer comes from the Latin word “bifurcare”, which means “to divide into two forks”. It is a combination of the prefix “bi-“, meaning “two”, and the verb “furca”, meaning “fork”. In everyday French, bifurquer is often used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense to express a hypothetical action or situation in the past.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with their respective English translations, are:

  1. Il fallait que je bifurquasse à droite pour éviter le trafic. (I needed to fork right to avoid the traffic.)
  2. Si tu bifurquais à gauche, tu trouverais un joli parc. (If you forked left, you would find a beautiful park.)
  3. Nous aurions préféré que vous bifurquassiez plus tôt dans la soirée. (We would have preferred it if you had forked off earlier in the evening.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je bifurquasse Si j’avais le choix, je bifurquasse vers la droite. If I had the choice, I would turn right.
tu bifurquasses Si tu t’entraînais plus, tu bifurquasses plus rapidement. If you trained more, you would turn faster.
il bifurquât Il irait plus vite s’il bifurquât à gauche. He would go faster if he turned left.
elle bifurquât Elle serait plus heureuse si elle bifurquât vers la campagne. She would be happier if she turned towards the countryside.
on bifurquât Si on bifurquât après le pont, on éviterait le traffic. If one turned after the bridge, one would avoid traffic.
nous bifurquassions Si nous bifurquassions à temps, nous arriverions plus tôt. If we turned in time, we would arrive earlier.
vous bifurquassiez Si vous bifurquassiez ici, vous éviteriez la foule. If you turned here, you would avoid the crowd.
ils bifurquassent S’ils bifurquassent ensemble, ils découvriraient de nouveaux endroits. If they turned together, they would discover new places.
elles bifurquassent Si elles bifurquassent plus souvent, elles verraient plus de paysages. If they turned more often, they would see more landscapes.

Other Conjugations for Bifurquer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bifurquer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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