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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cascader

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The English translation of the French verb cascader is “to cascade” or “to fall in cascades.” The infinitive form, cascader, is pronounced as “kahs-kah-deh.”

The language origin of cascader comes from the French word “cascade,” meaning waterfall. In everyday French, cascader is most often used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past. This tense is commonly used after certain conjunctions such as “si” (if) and “bien que” (although).

Here are three examples of cascader in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, with their English translations:

  1. Il aurait été beau si la rivière cascadaît doucement entre les rochers. (It would have been beautiful if the river had cascaded gently between the rocks.)

  2. Il était important que les fleurs cascadaissent avec grâce du balcon. (It was important that the flowers cascaded gracefully from the balcony.)

  3. Bien que le soleil cascadaît à travers les nuages, il faisait toujours froid. (Although the sun cascaded through the clouds, it was still cold.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je cascadasse Si j’étais sous la cascade, je cascadasse toute la journée. If I were under the waterfall, I would cascade all day.
tu cascadasse Si tu étais plus fort, tu cascadasse plus vite. If you were stronger, you would cascade faster.
il cascadât Si il se reposait, il cascadât moins. If he rested, he would cascade less.
elle cascadât Si elle était plus courageuse, elle cascadât mieux. If she were braver, she would cascade better.
on cascadât Si on avait plus d’expérience, on cascadât avec plus de précision. If one had more experience, one would cascade more accurately.
nous cascadassions Si nous apprenions ensemble, nous cascadasions plus vite. If we learned together, we would cascade faster.
vous cascadassiez Si vous vous entrainiez, vous cascadassiez plus haut. If you trained, you would cascade higher.
ils cascadassent S’ils avaient des équipements meilleurs, ils cascadasent plus souvent. If they had better equipment, they would cascade more often.
elles cascadassent Si elles se motivaient, elles cascadasent plus loin. If they motivated themselves, they would cascade further.

Other Conjugations for Cascader.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cascader
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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