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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déactiver

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The English translation of the French verb déactiver is “to deactivate.” It is pronounced as “dey-ak-tee-vay” in its infinitive form.

Déactiver comes from the French words “dé-” meaning “de-” and “activer” meaning “to activate.” It is primarily used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, which is a form of the subjunctive mood used to express hypothetical or uncertain actions in the past.

Three simple examples of déactiver in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense are:

  1. Si j’avais su que le système était piraté, je l’aurais déactivé immédiatement. (If I had known that the system was hacked, I would have deactivated it immediately.)

  2. Il fallait que tu déactives ton compte avant de partir, c’était dangereux de le laisser actif. (You had to deactivate your account before leaving, it was dangerous to leave it active.)

  3. Nous souhaitions que les alarmes se déactivent automatiquement en cas de panne d’électricité. (We wanted the alarms to automatically deactivate in case of a power outage.)

In all of these examples, déactiver is used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past. The first example is a regret or wish, the second is a necessity, and the third is a desire.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je désactivasse Si j’étais riche, je désactivasse mes comptes. If I were rich, I would deactivate my accounts.
tu désactivasses Si tu voulais, tu désactivasses mon téléphone. If you wanted, you would deactivate my phone.
il désactivât Il serait heureux si il désactivât les notifications. He would be happy if he deactivated the notifications.
elle désactivât Elle serait soulagée si elle désactivât ses applications. She would be relieved if she deactivated her apps.
on désactivât Si on désactivât le Wi-Fi, on économiserait de la batterie. If one deactivated Wi-Fi, one would save battery.
nous désactivassions Si nous désactivassions nos comptes, nous serions déconnectés. If we deactivated our accounts, we would be logged out.
vous désactivassiez Si vous désactivassiez vos comptes, vous n’auriez plus de notifications. If you deactivated your accounts, you would no longer have notifications.
ils désactivassent S’ils désactivassent leurs appareils, ils n’auraient plus de distractions. If they deactivated their devices, they would have no more distractions.
elles désactivassent Si elles désactivassent leurs comptes, elles seraient plus présentes dans la vie réelle. If they deactivated their accounts, they would be more present in real life.

Other Conjugations for Déactiver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déactiver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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