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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb commercer

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The English translation of the French verb commercer is “to trade” or “to start”. It is pronounced as “kom-air-say” in its infinitive form.

The word commercer comes from the Latin word “commercium”, meaning “trade” or “business”. It was first used in Old French, and has been a part of the French language since the 12th century. In everyday French, commercer is most often used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense to express a possibility, doubt, or desire in the past.

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

  1. Je souhaitais que tu commercasses avec moi. (I wished that you would trade with me.)
  2. Il fallait que nous commercions avant la fin du mois. (We had to start before the end of the month.)
  3. Elle aurait aimé que vous commerciez avec elle. (She would have liked for you to trade with her.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je commerçasse Si je travaillais moins, je commerçasse plus. If I worked less, I would do more business.
tu commerçasses Si tu économisais plus, tu commerçasses mieux. If you saved more, you would do better business.
il commerçât Il serait plus prospère s’il commerçât avec plus de personnes. He would be more prosperous if he did business with more people.
elle commerçât Elle serait plus heureuse si elle commerçât en ligne. She would be happier if she did business online.
on commerçât Si on commerçât moins cher, on aurait plus de clients. If one did business cheaper, one would have more clients.
nous commerçassions Si nous commerçassions ensemble, nous atteindrions nos objectifs. If we did business together, we would reach our goals.
vous commerçassiez Si vous commerçassiez plus intelligemment, vous gagneriez plus d’argent. If you did business more intelligently, you would make more money.
ils commerçassent S’ils commerçassent avec des pays étrangers, ils pourraient développer leur entreprise. If they did business with foreign countries, they could expand their business.
elles commerçassent Si elles commerçassent plus éthiquement, elles auraient plus de clients fidèles. If they did business more ethically, they would have more loyal customers.

Other Conjugations for Commercer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commercer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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