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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb confédérer

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The English translation of the French verb confédérer is “to confederate” or “to form a confederation.” The infinitive form, confédérer, is pronounced “kohn-fay-deh-ray.”

Confédérer comes from the Latin word “confederare,” meaning “to unite.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past.

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

  1. Je souhaitais que nous confédérions nos forces pour atteindre nos objectifs communs. (I wished that we would confederate our strengths to achieve our common goals.)

  2. Il fallait que les pays voisins confédérassent pour lutter contre l’envahisseur. (It was necessary for the neighboring countries to confederate in order to fight against the invader.)

  3. Je craignais que leur alliance ne se confédérât pas assez rapidement pour sauver la situation. (I was afraid that their alliance would not confederate quickly enough to save the situation.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je confédérasse Si j’étais français, je confédérasse avec d’autres pays. If I were French, I would confederate with other countries.
tu confédérasses Si tu voulais, tu confédérasses avec tes amis. If you wanted, you would confederate with your friends.
il confédérât Il serait plus fort s’il confédérât avec d’autres équipes. He would be stronger if he confederated with other teams.
elle confédérât Elle perdrait moins souvent si elle confédérât avec ses coéquipiers. She would lose less often if she confederated with her teammates.
on confédérât Si on travaillait ensemble, on confédérât plus facilement. If one worked together, one would confederate more easily.
nous confédérassions Si nous confédérassions nos ressources, nous serions plus efficaces. If we confederated our resources, we would be more effective.
vous confédérassiez Si vous confédérassiez vos idées, vous auriez plus d’impact. If you confederated your ideas, you would have more impact.
ils confédérassent S’ils confédérassent leurs forces, ils pourraient gagner. If they confederated their forces, they could win.
elles confédérassent Si elles confédérassent leurs compétences, elles seraient plus fortes. If they confederated their skills, they would be stronger.

Other Conjugations for Confédérer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb confédérer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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